S TATE OF R ELIGIOUS

IN PAKISTAN

EditorEditor

AuthorsAuthors

Lead ResearcherLead Researcher

Assistant ResearchersAssistant Researchers

Acknowledgements

EditorAli Dayan Hasan

AuthorsRabia Mehmood; Syed Hassan Akbar

Lead ResearcherRabia Mehmood

Assistant ResearchersFakiha Nadeem; Palvashay Sethi

This material may not be copied, reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part without attribution to the Jinnah Institute. Unless noted otherwise, all material is the property of the Jinnah Institute.

Copyright@ Jinnah Institute 2015-------------

This publication has been produced with the support of Canada's Office of Religious Freedom, DFATDGovernment of Canada

S TATE OF R ELIGIOUS

IN PAKISTANFREEDOM

ABOUTJINNAHINSTITUTE

JinnahInstitute(JI)isanon-pro�itpublicpolicyinstitutethatpromotesindependent

policy research and public advocacy that advances the causes of democratic

institution building, national and human security discourse, regional peace,

entitlementtofundamentalrightsandbuildingpublicequityinapluralandinclusive

national identity. To meet these objectives, Jinnah Institute engages with policy-

makers,government,media,civilsociety,stateinstitutionsandacademia.

OpenDemocracyInitiative

ThegoaloftheOpenDemocracyInitiativeistobridgethegapbetweencitizensand

stateandtoarticulatepolicyresponsesbasedoninclusiveresearch.JinnahInstitute

seekstocreateawareness,expandknowledgebasesandfacilitatetheimplementation

of informed recommendations for researchers and policy-makers. This program

focuses on strengthening democratic practices such as transparency in public

contracts,therighttoreligiousfreedom,socialentitlements,righttoinformationand

theprovisionofsocialjustice.

ExecutiveSummary

KeyRecommendations

Methodology

IncidentsofDiscriminationsandViolence

StatusofReligiousFreedoms

Ahmadis

Hindus

Christians

Shias

LegalDiscriminationandJudicialResponse

Conclusion

05

10

12

13

22

22

31

41

47

53

60

ExcerptfromspeechtotheConstituentAssemblyofPakistan,August11,1947

ecentyearshavewitnessedanescalationinthepersecutionofminorityRcommunities in Pakistan. The exclusion of non-Muslims from

mainstreamnationallifeisonlyhalfthestory.Increasingly,extremists

havealsotargetedMuslimsfromtheminoritysectsofIslam.Duringtheperiod

2012-2015 at least 351 incidents of violence were carried out against

minorities. Such violence and discrimination is often justi�ied by radical

sectarianclerics,manyofwhomhavebeenalliedwith,orappeasedby,thestate

atvariouspoints,orhaveconverselybeenatloggerheadswithitatothertimes.

Concerted political opposition to both, such clerics and the idea of state

patronageto them,hasgrownasPakistan'sdemocracyhas takenholdsince

2008.Yet,progressinbuildingananti-extremistpoliticalandsocialconsensus

hasbeenatroubled,fraught,andimperfectprocess,markedbysetbacksand

challenges.And,ofcourse,evenwheresectionsofthepoliticalelite,civilsociety,

media,andstateadministrationhavebeentheoreticallyresoluteinopposing

agentsandenablersofsuchbigotry,discrimination,abuse,andself-censorship,

dithering policy and law enforcement responses stemming from fear of

extremistretaliationhaveensuredtheinjusticeagainstminoritycommunities

goingunreportedandunchallenged.

Basedonextensive�ieldworkcarriedoutduring2014-2015,thisreportdocumentsthe

different dimensions of faith-based discrimination across Pakistan. Vulnerable

minority groups such as Ahmadis, Christians andHindus remain 'soft targets' for

militant groups. The report also presents speci�ic, increasingly bloody attacks

perpetratedbyproscribedreligiousmilitantout�itsagainstShiaMuslims.Inaddition

to the summary, recommendations andmethodology, section four presents data

EXECUTIVESUMMARY

5

collected between 2012 and 2014 on incidents of violence perpetrated against

different communities by type of violence and province. Section �ive provides a

qualitativereviewofthepresentstateofeachofthecommunitieswhilepresenting

someofthe�indingsemanatingfrom�ieldresearchconductedforthereport.Finally,

sectionsixpresentsareviewoflegislative,judicialandpolicychangesaffectingnon-

MuslimandMuslimminorities.

Pakistani Christians faced intense and persistent threats, harassment and acts of

violenceduringthereportingperiodfromJanuary2012toJune2015.Over40attacks

ofvaryingintensitytargetedtheChristiancommunity,sevenchurchesweredamaged

and 14 Christians were charged with blasphemy. Sexual assault cases; forced

conversionsandkidnappingwerecommonandoftenwentuncheckedbythestate.In

2013,anarsonattackonaworkingclassChristiansettlementofJosephColony,anda

suicideattackontheAllSaintsChurchinPeshawarresultedinaheightenedsenseof

insecurityamongmembersoftheChristiancommunity,leadingtoanincreaseinthe

numberofChristiancitizensseekingasylumabroad.2014endedonatragicnotewhen

apoorChristiancouple,workinginabrick-kiln,wasburntalivebyafrenziedMuslim

mobduetoallegationsofblasphemyinPunjabprovince.Thispatternofpersecution

andviolencecontinuedin2015astwochurcheswerebombedinLahore'sChristian

neighborhoodofYouhanabad.ThesituationledtocommunalriotingwhenaChristian

moballegedly lynched twoMuslimmen in the aftermathof the church attacks. In

contrast to responses to attacks by Muslim extremist groups targeting religious

minorities, thePunjabpolicedisplayedanoticeablyhigher levelofcommitment in

investigatingallegedactsofaggressionbymembersofminoritygroups.Protectionof

minoritygroupsremainedalowpriority.

Ahmadis continued to be victims of legal, institutional and social discrimination.

During2014-2015,39Ahmadiswerekilledinreligiouslyinspiredattacks;thevast

majority of these target killings were carried out in Punjab and Sindh. Little

improvementwasnoticedinthesocio-culturalattitudesofmainstreamMuslimsects

towardsAhmadis.Thelatterremainmarginalizedunderthedraconiananti-Ahmadi

OrdinanceXXof1984thatcriminalizesthecommunityforadoptingaMuslimidentity.

Towardstheendof2012,unidenti�iedassailantsdesecrated100gravesinanovernight

attackonanAhmadigraveyard.Since2012,atleastsixAhmadiplacesofworshipwere

attackedandvandalized.In2014,aviciousmobattackincityofGujranwalainPunjab

ledtothedeathsoftwominorgirlsandanelderlywoman.HundredsofAhmadishave

beendisplacedduetoattacksandthreats.Manyhavesoughtasylumabroad.

6

Forcedmarriages,abductionsandrapeofgirlsweretheoverridingconcernsofHindu

communitymembersinPakistanduringthereportingperiod.Insomecases,Hindus

reported migration to neighbouring, Hindu-majority India in the face of ongoing

persecution.DespiteSindh'scenturies-oldtraditionofbeingthehuboftolerantSu�i

Islam,an increase inreligiouspolarizationwasevident in theprovince. In2014,a

HinducommunitycenterinLarkanawasvandalizedandvaluableswerelootedbya

religiouslymotivatedmob.Extremistthreatsandsupportforthesameprovidedby

thousandsofunregisteredreligiousseminariesintheprovincehaveledtoincreasing

curbsonreligiousfreedom.MembersoftheHinducommunityhavealsobeenregularly

targetedbyextortionistsandkidnappers in ruralandurbanSindh.Ofallminority

groups,PakistaniHindushavebornethebruntofstigmatizationasaconsequenceof

biased school textbooks that paint themas 'evil', anti-state, anduntrustworthy. In

2015,therewerenumerousincidentsofforcedconversions,rapeandattacksonplaces

ofworshiptargetingmembersoftheHinducommunity.

ShiaMuslimshavefacedthegravestconsequencesofreligiousintoleranceinPakistan

in the last threeyears.During thisperiod, Jinnah Institute recorded23attackson

ImambargahsandShiamosques.Therewere203targetedkillingsandatleast1304

ShiaMuslimswerekilled inbombattacks.Thesharprise inmurderousattacksby

sectarianmilitantgroupshasalsobeenaccompaniedbyan increase inblasphemy

cases registered against Shia community members. Sindh and Balochistan, in

particular,witnessedpersistenttargetedkillingsandbombattacksagainstmembers

oftheShiacommunity.InBalochistan,anti-Shiamessaginginpublicspacesandinthe

presscontinuedwithimpunity.InPunjab,extremistorganizationscontinuedtotarget

Shiasthroughregisteringcasesandhatecampaigns.InKhyberPakhtunkhwa,target

killingsincreased,accompaniedbymigrationofShiafamiliesfromthetribalregionsto

saferlocationsintheprovince.During2014and2015,sub-sectsofShiaIslam-Bohras

andIsmailis–alsocameunderintenseattacks.ThemostbrutalwastheMay2015

SafooraGothattackinKarachiwhenacommuterbuswassprayedwithbulletskilling

46ShiaMuslimsfromtheIsmailisub-sect.

The launch of the National Action Plan (NAP) in December 2014 provided an

opportunity forthestatetoarticulate itsresolveat thehighestpoliticalandpolicy

levels to tackle the crisis facing religious minorities within the broader rubric of

combatingterrorismandextremism.

NAPaddressestheissueofreligiousextremistspreachingandincitingviolenceagainst

7

religiousminoritieswithimpunity.Butprogressinimplementingpolicychanges,in

lightofNAP,toaddresstheseissueshasbeenslow,irregularanduneven.Therehave

beensomeisolatedattemptsataddressingtheissueasapparentintheprosecutionof

two cases concerning hate speech. Further, the August 2015 killing in a police

encounter of Malik Ishaq, the notorious head of the LeJ – an avowedly anti-Shia

organization -hasweakenedanout�it seenas theprincipalpersecutorof Shias in

Pakistan.Yet,attacksonShiaMuslimshavecontinued.Similarly,whilethePakistani

Taliban–TTP-hasbeenweakenedconsiderablysincethelaunchofOperationZarb-e-

Azb, it hasmanaged to kill Christiansduring Sunday services. Certainly,while the

adoption of NAP has led to a greater recognition of the problem, progress on

safeguardingminoritygroupsandtacklingdiscriminationandabuseinacoherentand

systemicmannerhasremainedgenerallyelusive.

Critically,thelargerissueofregulatingmadrassasremainsunaddressed. Statements

by senior government of�icials on regulating religious seminaries, most of which

belongtotheDeobandisect,areoftencontradictoryand,asofthetimeofwriting,there

isnocoherentpublicplantoregisterandmonitortheseseminaries.

Ininterviewsconductedforthisstudy,membersofminoritycommunitiesexpressed

theirfearsandawidespreadsenseofinsecurity.ManytoldJItheyhadlittleoptionbut

to�leePakistanastheysawlittlehopeofimprovementintheirsecuritysituationunless

stateprotectionsimproveandthemajoritycommunity'sattitudesshift.

Thisreportalsoreviewstheongoingmisuseofblasphemylawsthathaveledtothe

persecutionofMuslimsandnon-Muslimsalike.Debateontheblasphemylawsremains

muf�led in the aftermath of the events of 2010-11 including the assassinations of

GovernorPunjabSalmanTaseerandFederalMinisterforMinoritiesShahbazBhati.

However,signi�icantworkwasundertakenbyprogressivelegislatorssuchasSherry

Rehman,withrespecttothereviewofblasphemylaws,priortotheseevents.Progress

onimplementationoftheserecommendationsforreviewandreformhasremained

stalledsince,despiteajudicialcommissionreportintheaftermathoftheGojrariots

calling foranextensivereviewof therelevantblasphemy-relatedprovisionsof the

PakistanPenalCode.

However, civil society, human rights advocates and sections of the media have

continuedhighlighting religiousbigotryandattendantpersecutionandabuse, and

somegains,thoughminimal,havebeenregisteredinrightsprotectionsforreligious

minorities.Forexample,theSupremeCourtdeliveredalandmarkjudgmentin2014on

8

minority rights, and a young ChristianRimshaMasihwas acquitted of blasphemy

charges in 2013. While the National Commission for Human Rights has been

constitutedwitharetiredjudgeasitshead,ithasyettoassumefunctionalstatusandits

powersandremitremainlimited.ResearchconductedbytheJinnahInstitute,among

others, indicates that the implementation of progressive judicial orders or the

government's counter-terrorismmeasures inNAP,particularly in relation to rights

protectionsandsafeguardingvulnerablegroups,havebeenlargelyineffective.

9

o improve the status of minorities in Pakistan, Jinnah InstituteTrecommends to the Government of Pakistan and relevant provincial

governmentsthefollowing:

Areliableandupdateddatabaseoffaith-basedtargetkillingsandattacksbe

constituted;

Lawenforcementagenciesinallprovincesandthefederalcapitalandfederal

territoriesbeprovided training toprevent faithbasedviolenceand tohold

perpetratorsaccountablewhensuchviolenceoccursoristhreatened;

ChiefMinistersshouldseekmonthlyprogressreportsonpoliceinvestigationof

casesthatconcernattacksonreligiousminorities;

Curriculumreformthroughinclusionofmessagesofreligioustolerance,and

shunningofviolentmethodsagainstnon-Muslimsbeurgentlyinstitutedand

enactedinsupportofrelevantSupremeCourtrulingsonthesubject;

FollowingthesteptakenbytheSindhgovernment,allprovincesshouldinclude

Quaid-e-Azam'sAugust11speechinschooltextbooks;

EffectiveregulationofseminariesacrossPakistan,andregistrationofmosques

beundertaken;

Educationreformmeasuresandwideraccesstoeducationtobeensured in

KEYRECOMMENDATIONS

10

order to prevent seminary enrollment as a substitute for education for the

childrenfromlessprivilegedanddisadvantagedsectionsofsociety;

Curricula taught in seminaries be standardized and regulated to be in

conformitywiththefundamentalrightsprovisionsoftheconstitution;

Hate speech and hate campaigns be curbed through strengthening existing

legislationandthroughfurtherlegislationasrequired;

Governmentcommitteestodeterminewhatconstituteshatespeechandhate-

incitingliteraturemustincludehumanrightsdefenders,religiousscholarsand

expertsandnotjustconservativeIslamicclergyofdifferentsects;

Governmentjobquotasforminoritiesandprotectionofbusinessesownedby

non-Muslimgroupsbeinstitutedandimplemented;

Aparliamentarycommitteeshouldreviewthealreadyproposedamendments

totheblasphemylawsbymakingmaliciousintentoftheaccuserpunishable

andbuildingsafeguardsagainstfrivolousregistrationofsuchcases;

The Interior Ministry, with the support of the National Human Rights

Commission and provincial police authorities, should constitute a cell to

documentblasphemycasesandreligiouslymotivatedcasesbookedunderthe

anti-Ahmadiordinance;

TheNationalCommissiononMinoritiesshouldbestrengthenedthroughthe

establishmentofprovincialCommissionsonMinorities;

TheNationalCommissiononMinoritiesshouldbegivenmagistracyrightsto

takesuomotunoticeofdiscriminationandviolenceagainstminorities,withthe

abilitytopursuepublicinterestlitigationtoprotectthefundamentalfreedoms

enshrinedintheConstitution.

11

his report uses quantitative and qualitative methods employingTprimary and secondary sources to present its �indings. Quantitative

datacollectionhasbeencarriedoutbyJinnahInstitutestaffthrough

collationandcategorizationofincidentsofviolenceagainstminoritiesreported

in mainstream media. Qualitative data has been collected through �ield

interviewscarriedoutinPunjab,Sindh,BalochistanandKhyberPakhtunkhwa

provinces covering the following districts: Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala,

Faisalabad,Hyderabad,Karachi,Umarkot,Sukkur,Shikarpur,Khairpur,Quetta

andPeshawar.

Over100interviewswereconductedforthisreport.Additionally, four focusgroup

discussionswerealsoheldineachprovince.Thiswasaugmentedbytwoprovincial

consultations and two national consultations with parliamentarians, journalists,

activistsandpolicystakeholders.The�ieldworkwascarriedoutbyateamcomprising

theleadresearcher,aresearchassistantandtwoinvestigators.Qualitativeinterviews

wereanalyzedtopresentthe�indingsofthisreport.

METHODOLOGY

12

his section of the report presents categorized data on incidents ofTdiscrimination and violence against Shias, Ahmadis, Christians and

Hindus.Thedatapresented inthisreporthasbeencollatedby Jinnah

Instituteresearchersthroughnewspaperreportsbetween2012and2014.Dueto

restrictionsarisingoutofmethodology,thedataisusedtogaugebroadtrendsin

thetypesandfrequencyofincidentsfacedbyMuslimandnon-Muslimminority

communities.Itisalsousedtohighlightgeographicalhot-spotswithinPakistan

wherespeci�iccommunitiesfacegreaterviolence.Thedatadoesnotre�lectthe

exactnumberofsuchincidentsduetochallengesofnon-reportingbyvictimsand

their families, as well as shortcomings in accurate reporting in leading

newspapers–whichdonotalwaysre�lectcasesregisteredinremoteruralareas.

Thetypesofviolencefacedbydifferentminoritycommunitiesarebroadlycategorizedas

follows:

TargetedAttacks:Theseincludeinstancesoftargetkillingsandtargetedsuicidebomb

attacksagainstminoritycommunities.However,whenpresentingdataonviolence

against theMuslimShiacommunity, suicidebombingsarepresentedasaseparate

categoryduetothesigni�icantlylargenumberofbombattackstargetingShiasbetween

2012and2014.

Damage to Worship Areas: This category includes all incidents of desecration,

destructionandpillageofworshipareasincludingImambargahs,Mandirs,Churches,

Ahmedijamaatkhanasandotherreligiouslysigni�icantpropertiesincludingshrines

andcommunitycenters.

INCIDENTSOFDISCRIMINATIONANDVIOLENCE

13

Damage to Graveyards: Desecration of burial places is used as a speci�ic form of

intimidation and harassment against non-Muslim communities. Therefore, this

includesallinstanceswheregraveyardsorgraveshavebeendesecrated.

Kidnappings:Womenformoneofthemostvulnerablemembersofanycommunity.Itis

nowonderthenthatamongstalreadymarginalizedminoritycommunities,women

belongingtominoritycommunitiesformoneofthemostdestituteandvulnerablesub-

group within Pakistan. Due to this vulnerability, coupled with the patriarchal

conventionofassociatingwomenwithhonourandrespect,kidnappingofminority

womenisusedasanintolerabletoolofintimidation,discriminationandviolenceby

themajority.

ForcedConversions:WomencontinuetobearthebruntofforcedconversioninPakistan

withtheHinduandChristiancommunityseverelytraumatizedbyrisingcasesofforced

conversionbyanincreasingnumberofreligiouslymotivatedseminariesinSindhand

Punjabthatconsiderittheirdutytoconvertnon-MuslimstoIslam.However,equally

signi�icantly,forcedconversionshavealsobeenusedbyfeudallandlordstooppress

scheduled casts and claim dominance over thewomen folk belonging tominority

communities.

SexualAssault:Asaresultofpervasivebigotrywithinsociety,asmallsegmentofthe

majoritycommunitycontinuetooppresswomenbelongingtominoritycommunities

bytargetingthemforsexualassault,andinmostcasesrape.Theseinstancesofrape

andsexualassaultareofparticularconcernbecauseminoritywomenareconsidered

“legalprey”bysuchmen.Alargenumberofsuchcases,asisthenormwithrapecases

acrossPakistan,remainunreportedbecausevictimsareafraidofsocialandfamilial

humiliation,orreprisalsagainsttheirfamilies.

Accusationsofblasphemy:Blasphemylawshavebecomeoneofthemostpowerfultools

beingemployedbyreligiousextremistsinPakistan.Duetotheseverityofpunishment

enshrinedintheConstitutionandtheeaseoflevelingaccusationsagainstamemberof

anon-MuslimorMuslimminority,casesundertheblasphemylawareusedtoharass

minoritygroups,settlepersonalenmities,andcreateanatmosphereconducive for

propagationofhatematerial.

MobAttack:Speci�ictoanewandferociousformofcommunalintolerance,mobattacks

involve large groups of themajority religious denomination setting on �irewhole

14

villagesorlocalitieswhereminoritycommunitiesareresiding.Mobattackshavealso

includedlynchingoftheaccusedbylargegroupsofvigilantesmotivatedbyfaith-based

hatespeech.

Exodus:IncidentsofexodushavebeenreportedbytheHinducommunityinSindhwhere

massmigrationfromPakistanhasbeenundertakenbylargegroupsoffamiliesdueto

fearoflossoflife.

SHIAS

The Shia community in Pakistan has been under threat from extremist sectarian

groupssincethe1980's.However,since2001,andtheadventoflargescaleterrorist

attacks motivated by religious extremists, sectarian terrorism has reached an

unprecedentedlevelofviolenceinPakistan.Whiletargetedattacksagainstprominent

religiousscholars,academics,governmentfunctionaries,andprofessionalsbelonging

to the ShiaMuslimminority sect continue since the 1990s, the up-tick in suicide

bombingshastransformedtheferocityofattacksbornebythecommunity.

AccordingtodatacollectedbyJinnahInstitute,between2012and2014,288incidents

of violence occurred across Pakistan in which Shia community members were

targeted.Ofthese,230incidentsinvolvedtargetedattacksagainstcommunityleaders,

regularcitizensandreligiousleaders.2014sawamarkedincreaseinthenumberof

targetedattacksreportedbythemediainwhichcitizensprofessingtheShiasectof

Islamweretargeted.Whilenodiscernabletrendwaswitnessedinsuicidebombings

and damage toworship places, the highest number of casualties and the greatest

numberof incidentsofterrorismweredirectedagainsttheShiacommunityacross

Pakistan.Itisdisturbingtonotethatthesharpriseintheincidenceofviolencein2014

coincideswithreportsofthepresenceofDaeshalongthePakistan-Afghanistanborder.

Itisalsoinstructivetoassessthatdespitegovernmentdenunciationoftheexistenceof

DaeshinPakistan,thenumberofincidentsincreasedto165in2014,comparedto65in

2013 and 58 in 2012. This period coincidedwith a number of announcements in

PakistanandAfghanistaninwhichhardenedextremistcommanderspledgedloyaltyto

Daesh–avehementlyanti-Shiasectarianorganization.

Table1.0IncidentsofViolenceagainstShiaCommunitybytype2012-2014

2012

20132014

Total

Targetedattacks 42 40 148 230

Suicide/bombattacks 11 16 10 37

Damagetoworshipareas

5

9

7

21

15

2012 2013 2014 Total

AbreakupoftheincidentsofviolenceagainsttheShiacommunitybyprovinceshows

thatSindhwitnessedanexponentialincreaseinincidentsofviolence.Thiswaslargely

due toanextremelyhighnumberofreported targetedattacksagainstShias in the

province.Similarly,KhyberPakhtunkhwatoowitnessedariseintargetedkillingsof

Shias.AccordingtoasurveycarriedoutbytheHomeMinistryinSindh,anumberof

newsectarianinspiredMadrassahshaverecentlybeenestablishedintheprovince.

Alarmingly,concentrationsoftheseMadrassahscoincideswithlocalitieswherethe

highestnumberofsectariankillingstakeplace.InKarachialone,thecentraldistrict

houses813Madrassahs,whereasmore than74percent of all sectariankillings in

Karachiarereportedinthesamedistrict.

DespitethesmallnumberofincidentsreportedfromQuetta,thevolumeoffatalities

and deaths suffered by the Hazara Shia community in the city in 2013 is widely

regardedastheworstincidenceofsuicideattacksagainstthecommunityinPakistan.

In January 2013, a series of bomb blasts in and aroundAlamdar Road killed 126

membersoftheShiacommunityinQuetta,whileanother230peoplewerereportedto

beseverelyinjured.Asaresultofthebombings,amasssit-inagainsttheatrocitieswas

carriedoutacrossPakistaninsolidaritywiththeHazaras.Takingnoticeofthemasssit-

ins,whereprotestorsrefusedtoburytheirdead,thefederalgovernmentwasforcedto

remove the provincial government for its negligence in providing security to the

community.Asaresultoftheattacks,alargenumberofHazaracommunitymembers

have�ledQuettasince2013,withmanyofthemapplyingforasylumabroadasviolence

againstShiasincreasedacrossPakistan.

4 9

25 2012

34

9 1010

113

8

34

Punjab Sindh Balochistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Incidents of Violence against Shia Community by Province

2012 2013 2014

16

CHRISTIANS

TargetedattacksagainsttheChristiancommunityrosein2014.Fromjust�ivereported

casesoftargetedattacksin2012,thenumberoftargetedattacksincreasedto29in

2014.Thisdemonstratesaworryingtrendintheriseoffaith-basedattacksagainstthe

smallChristiancommunityinthecountry.

Forced conversion, an issue largely thought to be associated with the Hindu

community,isalsobeingwitnessedagainstChristians.Between2012and2014,20

cases of sexual assault and forced conversion were reported by this community.

Similarly,mobviolence,instigatedthroughhatespeechonaccusationsofblasphemy,

hasalsoresultedinthelossoflifeandpropertyamongstthedisenfranchisedgroup.

2015 too witnessed a steady rise in incidents of violence against the Christian

community.InMarch2015,theTalibanclaimedresponsibilityfortwosuicidebomb

blastsatChristianchurchesinLahore.Atotalof15peoplewerereportedkilledinthe

attacks.Followingtheattacks,theChristiancommunityriotedinthecityandburnt

alive two Muslims in Youhanabad. Unlike the Gojra riots, where police remained

bystanders in the ensuing carnage against the Christian community, raids were

conducted after the burning of Muslims and a large number of young Christian

residentswerearrestedonchargesofmurder.Thedisturbingtrendofmobviolence,

bothagainstandbyChristians,hasworsenedrelationsbetweenthetwocommunities.

Asaresult,in2015,anotherChristiancoupleinSheikhupurawasattackedbyamobon

charges of de�iling the Holy Quran. However, timely intervention by local police

of�icialssavedthecouplefromwhatcouldhavebeenanothergruesomemurder.

Table1.1IncidentsofViolenceagainstChristiansbytype2012–

2014

2012 2013 2014 Total

Targetedattacks 5 10 29 44

Sexualassualt/forcedconversion 6 6 8 20

Damagetoworshiparea 4 1 2 7

Mobattack 3 2 5

Accusedofblasphemy

9

312

17

Thegraphabove illustratesprovince-wisebreakupof incidentsofviolenceagainst

Christiansbetween2012and2014.AlmostallincidentswerereportedinPunjab.In

SindhandBalochistan,allincidentsofviolencewerereportedinKarachiandQuetta.In

Punjab, themostaffecteddistrictswereLahore,Faisalabad,Rawalpindi,Okaraand

Gujranwala.

AHMADIS

CollectingdataoncrimesagainstAhmadisremainsachallenge.Oneof thebiggest

hurdles in collectingprecisedata is self-censorshipby localandnationalmedia in

reporting instances of hate crime and violence against the most disenfranchised

communityinthecountry.

Table1.2IncidentsofViolenceagainstAhmadisbytype2012– 2014

2012

2013

2014

Total

Targetedattacks

23

6

1443

Harassment

4

4

Kidnapping 2 2 4

Damagetoworshiparea 1 4 5 Damagetograveyard

3

4

7

AccusedofBlasphemy

6

7

13

7 62

25

1

42

2 2

Punjab Sindh Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Balochistan

IncidentsofViolenceagainstChristiansbyProvince

2012 2013 2014

18

Between 2012 and 2014, 43 targeted attacks against members of the Ahmadi

communitywerecarriedoutacrossPakistan.Similarly,13membersofthecommunity

wereaccusedofblasphemy,whilesevengraveyardsweredesecrated.Targetedattacks

declinedin2013butroseagainin2014,demonstratingthatnocleartrendsexisted

overthethreeyears.However,in2013,and2014,thenumberofpeopleaccusedof

blasphemyincreased.Thisisinkeepingwithearlier�indingsthatreligiousextremists

havenowstartedusingtheblasphemylawswithimpunityagainstvulnerableminority

communities. Attacks againstworship places and graveyards also demonstrated a

patternofde�ilingreligiouspropertiesasamethodofintimidationandharassment.

AlmostallincidentsofviolenceagainsttheAhmadicommunityoccurredinPunjaband

Sindh.InPunjab,asteadyriseinfaith-basedtargetedattacksandcrimesincreased

fromninein2012to18in2014.However,asteadydeclineinincidentsofviolencein

Sindhwaswitnessedasreportedcasesdecreasedfrom19in2012to10in2014.

InPunjab,themostnumberofincidentswerereportedinLahore,Sialkot,Sargodha,

Chiniot, Faisalabad, Ha�izabad, and Toba Tek Singh districts. In Sindh, Karachi,

Hyderabad,andNawabshahremainedthedistrictsmostaffectedbyviolenceagainst

theAhmadicommunity.

2

9

19

14

8

1

18

10

Balochistan Punjab Sindh

IncidentsofViolenceagainstAhmadisbyProvince

2012 2013 2014

19

HINDUS

TheHinducommunityinPakistanhaslongbeenmarginalized.Asaresult,thesmall

communityhasbeenaffectedbyrisingextremismandviolenceinthecountry.Oneof

themainchallengesincollatingdataoncrimesagainstthecommunityisthepaucityof

informationchanneledthroughlocalnewspaperstonationalmedia.

Between2012and2014,reportsofviolenceagainsttheHinducommunityincreased.

Inalmostallcategories,asteadyrisewaswitnessed.Targetedattacksincreasedtosix

casesin2014fromfourin2012whilecasesinvolvingforcedconversionincreasedto

10in2014from�iveinboth2012and2013.Similarly,reportsofmassmigrationof

HindufamiliesfrominteriorSindhtoothercountries,especiallyIndiaalsoincreased.

Signi�icantly,threatsanddamagestoHindutemplesincreasedfromnegligible,to11

reportedcasesin2014.

51

6

13

63 3

51

Balochistan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Punjab Sindh

IncidentsofViolenceagainstHindusbyProvince

2012 2014

Table1.3IncidentsofViolenceagainstHindusbytype2012-2014

2012

2013

2014

Total

Targetedattacks

4

6

10

Damagetoworshipareas

1

1112

Kidnapping 10 11 21

Forcedconversion 5 5 10 20

Sexualassault

5

5

10

Exodus

1818

20

ApredominantnumberofcasesofviolencereportedagainsttheHinducommunity

took place in Sindh. Karachi, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Ghotki, Sukkur, Hyderabad,

Jacobabad,andTandoAlamweredistrictsmostaffectedbyviolenceagainsttheHindu

communityinSindh.

21

pproximately 3 million Pakistanis associate themselves with the

AAhmadi belief system. Ahmadis were declared as non-Muslims on

September7,1974byparliamentduringthetenureofPrimeMinister

Zul�ikarAliBhutto.

Ahmadis subscribe to an interpretation of Islamwhich is radically different from

traditionalinterpretationsofthereligionwidelyfollowedinPakistan.Muslimsofother

sectsseeMirzaGhulamAhmad,thefounderoftheAhmadifaith,andhisprofessed

statusasapromisedmessiahasevereaffronttothemajoritarianIslamictenetthatthe

HolyProphetMuhammad(PBUH)isthelastprophetofIslam.Thebeliefinthe�inality

ofProphetisthefoundationoffaithinorthodoxIslam.Inadditiontotargetedattacks

andlegalcasesstemmingfromtheanti-AhmadiOrdinanceof1984,Ahmadiscontinue

tobethevictimsofconsistenthatecampaigns.

EveryyearduringSeptember,theorthodoxclergycommemoratesthedeclarationof

Ahmadis as non-Muslim with fervor. This includes open incitement of hate and

violenceagainstthecommunitythroughconferencesandpublicaddresses.Whilethe

securitystatusofAhmadishasworsenedoverthelastthreeyears,thecommunity's

representativescontinuetoexpressdismayatthecompletedisregardfortheirplight.

Theroleofpolice,primarilyinPunjabandSindh,provinceswiththehighestpopulation

ofAhmadisinthecountry,alsoshowsapatternofappeasementof,andinsomecases

collusionwith,religiousextremistspursuinghatecampaignsagainstthecommunity.

AftertheattackontwoAhmadisplacesofworshipinLahoreonMay28,2010,the

communityhasundertakenastringofself-imposedsecurityrestrictionswiththehelp

STATUSOF

RELIGIOUSFREEDOMS

AHMADIS:ACOMMUNITYUNDERSIEGE

22

ofavolunteersecurityforce.Inadditiontophysicalsecurity,thecommunityisalso

lookingintosafetyandsecuritytrainingasaninstitutionalmechanismtosafeguardthe

life and property of itsmembers, in light of the government's inability to provide

AhmadiswithequalrightsenshrinedintheConstitution.

Facing stringent scrutiny and constant threats, a majority of the community is

reluctanttodisclosetheiridentityortodiscusstheimpactofastringofrecenttargeted

attacksagainsttheirmembersandplacesofreligioussigni�icance.Basedonaseriesof

in-depthinterviews,focusgroupdiscussions,andsecondaryresearchitisevidentthat

the Ahmadi community remains one of the most ostracized and disenfranchised

minoritycommunities inPakistan.Ahmadis sufferseverelyat thehandsofawell-

orchestratedhatecampaignbolsteredbyacontinuousandopenseriesofconferences

throughout the country each year. These conferences, ostensibly organized to

commemorate Islam, are in fact means of propagating a narrative based on

“otherising”theAhmadiasanti-Islamandanti-Pakistan.Heldonbehalfofpolitico-

religiousgroups,theseconferencesareusedbysectarianreligiousclergytoarouse

publicsentimentagainsttheAhmadisasameansofgainingpoliticalcapital.

Thelargestandmostorganizedreligiousgroupinvolvedinsystematicvictimizationof

thecommunityistheAalmiMajlis-e-Khatm-e-Nabuwwat–TheInternationalCouncil

fortheProtectionoftheFinalityofProphethood.

InadditiontothepervasivesocialparanoiageneratedagainsttheAhmadicommunity

by religio-political groups, the community has also been disenfranchised from

participating actively in the country's political system. A community that boasts

Pakistan's �irst ForeignMinister Sir ZafarullahKhan, and the country's �irstNobel

Laureateandfounderofthecountry'satomicresearchprogramDr.AbdusSalaam,has

been forced to stay away from active politics. Today, the community opposes the

separateelectorate,accordingtowhichAhmadiscanonlycastevotesasnon-Muslims.

Thecommunitysupportsajointelectoratethroughwhichtheywillnothavetocast

votesbydeclaringthemselvesnon-Muslims.

23

TARGETKILLINGS

PunjabandSindhweretheareaswhereAhmadisweremosthitbytargetedattacks

from 2012 till mid 2015, with 2012 seeing the highest number of people (23)

reportedlymurderedfortheirfaithacrossPakistan.The�irstAhmadimurderof2012

was in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in January after a Khatam-e-Nabuwwat

conferenceinthearea.Eightmonthslater,fourAhmadiswerekilledwithinaspanof10

daysinKarachi,followedbyanotherthreetargetkillingsintheportcity.Twomore

AhmadiswerekilledinPunjab;onemaninSialkotwaskilledoverapropertydispute

involvinganAhmadiplaceofworship.AnotherAhmaditeacher,AbdulQudoos,diedin

policecustodyinRabwahafterbeingsubjectedtoseveretorture.Twomembersofthe

sameAhmadifamilyweremurderedamonthapartinQuettalaterintheyear.

Fiveoutof the six targetkillingsofAhmadis in2013 tookplace inKarachi,which

includedthreemenofthesamefamily.MostoftheAhmadiskilledin2012and2013

wereinOrangiTownandBaldiaTown-thefamilyofthedeceasedbelievethekillings

werearesultofincessantanti-Ahmadicampaignsinthearea.Thesonofoneofthe

Ahmadivictims,speakingtoJinnahInstituteonconditionofanonymity,saidthathe

believedthatthebannedsectarianout�it,Lashkar-e-Jhangvi,hadbeeninvolvedinhis

father'smurder.Whenhesharedthisopinionwithlawenforcementagencies,hewas

toldthatsuchclaimswouldonlyresultinfurtherrisktohisfamily.Thisbeliefwas

echoedbyAhmadileaders,whotoldhimthatpointing�ingersatLashkar-e-Jhangvi

couldfurtherjeopardizethesafetyoftheentirecommunity.

In2014,PunjabwashometothemosttargetedkillingsofAhmadis,witheightoutof

fourteenAhmadisbeingbasedinthecountry'smostpopulousprovince.Theothersix

werereportedtohaveoccurredinSindh.InSharaqpur,Punjab,anAhmadimanwas

killed in police custody over alleged blasphemy. The agricultural town has seen

consistenthatecampaignagainstAhmadis.Thesamemonth,DrQamarAhmedMehdi,

an Ahmadi of Pakistani-American origin, who was visiting Rabwah - the largest

concentrationofAhmadipopulationinPakistan- andvolunteeringatacommunity-

runhospitalinthearea,wasgunneddownoutsidethecommunityneighborhoodby

unidenti�iedgunmen.Intheeyesofthecommunity,thetargetkillingsofAhmadisin

Punjabalmostneverleaveanyscopeforambiguitywithregardstothemotiveofthe

killer-afeelingsharedbylawenforcementof�icials-whichfailstoevokeanyeffortsto

providemuch-neededsecuritytothecommunity.

24

TESTIMONIAL

The year 2014 saw themost cold bloodedmob attack on a religiousminority in

Pakistan.OnJuly27th,anangrymobinGujranwalaset�iretoeighthomesof local

AhmadiresidentsintheareaofArafatColony.Theattackwasreportedlyinresponseto

anallegedcaseofblasphemyonaFacebookpostandresultedinthedeathsoftwo

younggirlsandtheirgrandmother.Apregnantwomanfromthesamefamilysuffereda

miscarriagebutescapedtheincidentwithherlife.

Monthslater,thevictimsoftheattackwerestillvisiblytraumatizedwhilespeakingto

JinnahInstitute.Relatingtheentireincident,RuqaiyyaBoota,motherofthetwoslain

girls,saidthattheentireincidentstartedwhenaragingmobgatheredinthestreetsin

GujranwalavowingtokillanAhmadiyouthwhohadallegedlycommittedblasphemyin

aFacebookpost.Themobthenstartedsetting�iretothehomesofAhmadisofthe

neighbourhood.KainatwaseightyearsoldandhersisterHirajustafewmonthsold

whentheysuccumbedtoinjuriesduringthe�ire.

Ruqqaiya,hermother-in-lawandhertwodaughtersHiraandKainat,weretrapped

insidewithotherwomenand childrenof the familywhen their housewentup in

�lames.

“Iremembermydaughtercontinuouslyaskingme:'Mamawhyarethesementryingto

hurtus,Mamawhathavewedone?'Mysisterinlaw,herchildren,mykids,ourmother-

in-lawandMubashiracontinuedscreamingandbeggedthemenoutsidetoopenthe

doorandletusgo.Butweheardthemendiscussingpouringmorepetrolonourhouse.

Theywere loudlycursingusand thenapointcamewhenweall fellunconscious,”

narratedRuqqaiya.

ThemotherwokeupinthehospitalinGujranwalato�indbothherdaughtersandher

mother-in-lawdead.MubashiraBibi,herpregnantsister-in-law,hadlostherbabyand

theirhomewasnowapileofashes.Recallingthatday,Ruqaiyyacomparedherwoeto

thepainofthemothersoftheschoolkidsoftheArmyPublicSchoolPeshawar,who

werebrutallykilledbytheTalibanonDecember16,2014.“Iwatchedthesympathy

theyreceivedfromthepublicandthemedia,andkeptaskingmyself,wasInotamother,

didthelossofmychildrennotmatter?”

This feeling of being less than others is a familiar one for Ahmadis, even when

compared tootherreligiousminorities.MuhammadBoota, fatherof themurdered

25

childrenandsonofBashiranBibisaid,“IhavebeenfollowingtheChiefMinisterof

Punjab'sresponsetothelynchingoftheChristiancouple[nearLahorein2014],andI

lookatourcasewhichhaslargelybeenignored.”

The incident in Gujranwala led to the displacement of at least 115Ahmadis from

GujranwalatootherpartsofPakistan-mostlyAhmadicentersofRabwahandChanab

Nagar.Almostayearlater,somefamilieshavenowstartedmakingtheirwaybackto

theiroldhomesbutBootaandRuqqaiyaarestillstayingaway.

ThecaseregisteredaftertheincidentinGujranwalahashadsomedevelopmentwith

thearrestofsevenoftheeightnominatedonchargesofmurder.Threeofthesemen

havereceivedbail,whilefourremaininjail.However,theircasesarependinginthe

courtswithoutconviction.

The Ahmadi youth who alleged blasphemy had sparked themob attack was also

chargedbylawenforcementagenciesundertheinfamousblasphemylaws.However,

asalatentimpactoftheNationalActionPlan,hewasrecentlyacquittedofblasphemy.

FAITH-BASEDCOURTCASES

ThemostpersistentmethodofpersecutingAhmadisinPakistanisthroughregistering

casesagainstthecommunitythroughanti-AhmadilawsunderPPCsections298A,B,C

andthenthroughtheblasphemylawsections295A,BandC.From2012tillJune2015,

theapplicationsforregisteringsuchcaseswere�iledbythemembersandsupporters

of the religiousgroupAlmiMajlisKhatam-e-Nabuwat.Therehavebeenover1070

faith-basedcasesagainstAhmadissincepromulgationofanti-Ahmadilawsin1984,

and303casesundertheblasphemylaws.

TESTIMONIAL

InApril2013,ayoungAhmadi,KhalidIshfaq,astudentofBachelorsinCommerceata

university in Lahore, was arrested by Lahore police after he was ambushed and

manipulatedbyananti-AhmadiyouthgroupwhilehewasdistributinganAhmadi

faith-based newspaper Al-Fazal in Ahmadi homes. Al-Fazal is a pre-Pakistan

publicationand ispublishedanddistributedamong the followersofAhmadi faith.

IshfaqandfourotherAhmadisremainedinjailforover10monthsundertheAnti-

Terrorism Act, sections of the blasphemy law and anti-Ahmadi laws. Ishfaq was

followed by a group of anti-Ahmadi activists who knew his itinerary for Al-Fazal

26

distribution.“Theywerebeardedmenonmotorbikesandtheyhadanothercohort

sittinginarickshawnearbyforsupport.TheystoppedmeandsaidtheyknewIhad

beendistributingblasphemousliteratureforeightmonths,”saidIshfaq.Herepliedthat

the publication was not blasphemous and they could check if they wanted to.

Meanwhile, the leader of the anti-Ahmadi group – relative of a renowned Islamic

scholar–joinedthem.“Theleaderofthegrouphadapistolinhishand.HetoldmeifI

did not go to the librarywith him, hewould announce to theworld that Iwas a

blasphemer and then a general mob would set me on �ire in the middle of the

neighborhood,”saidIshfaq.Atleast15clericstorturedIshfaqallnight,forcinghimto

identifyhomesofotherAhmadis,whichIshfaqresisted.“Theclericsthencalledthe

police,theycalled15andliedtothepolice(saying)thattheyhadcaughtablasphemer

whoneeded tobe arrested as therewasunrest spreading in the area.”Thepolice

reachedthespotin15minutesandforcedIshfaqtorevealmembersoftheAl-Fazal

printingpressinLahore,whowerearrestedtoo.

Duetohisjailsentence,Ishfaqcouldnottakehispartoneexamsthatyear.Helivedwiththe

traumaoflosinghissocialstanding,the�irsttwosemestersofhis�irstyearandhispeaceof

mind.IshfaqwantedtomoveoutofPakistanatthetimeoftheinterviewinSeptember

2014.

DESECRATIONOFWORSHIPPLACESANDGRAVEYARDS

There has been consistent documentation of the damage in�licted on theworship

placesofAhmadis,thedesecrationoftheirstructuresandpropertydisputescreated

overlandownership.In2012,anAhmadiworshipplaceorprayercenterinKharian

was desecrated by the Punjab Police itself to avoid agitation by amobwhich had

threatenedtodamagethebuilding.Thechargeagainstthecommunitywasbasedon

the minarets of the worship place, as the popular interpretation of anti-Ahmadi

Ordinancexx1984doesnotallowAhmadistobuildbuildingsthatresemblemosques.

InDecember 2012, over a hundred graves in anAhmadi graveyard situated in an

upscaleLahoreneighborhoodweredesecratedbyunidenti�iedmenovernight.The

caseofthedesecrationofgravesneverledtoanyarrestsorcourtcases.Inadditionto

thementionedcases,disrespectofdeadAhmadiscontinuesinPunjabtodate,with

burialsdeniedandbodiesexhumed.RespondentsinterviewedbytheJinnahInstitute

identi�iedFaisalabadandJaranwala,areaswithacomparativelysigni�icantAhmadi

population,aslocationsofdesecrationofburialplaces.

27

HARASSMENTATACADEMICINSTITUTES

Ahmadi students continue to face harassment and discrimination in academic

institutes.In2012,anAhmadistudentofBSCChemistryinCOMSATS,Lahore,hadto

leave university during her last year over allegations of blasphemy, after students

attemptedtoassaulther.Theinstitute'sadministrationdidnottaketheresponsibility

ofre-admittingthestudentbecausetheycouldnotguaranteehersecurity.Thefemale

studentwasforcedintostayingatRabwahformorethanayearforsecurityreasons.

EventuallyshebecameoneofthehundredsofAhmadisseekingasyluminSriLankain

thefollowingyears.

Maleand femaleAhmadi students reportedbeingdiscriminatedagainstandbeing

ostracizedduringclassesbytheirteachers.Academicinstituteswithstudentbodies

associatedwithpolitical religiousorganizations inPunjabandSindhalso targeted

Ahmadistudentssystematically.

ROLEOFPOLICEINVIOLATIONSOFFREEDOMOFRELIGION

Thepolice,oftenmotivatedbyingrainedreligiousbiases,areoftenbystanderswhena

caseofviolenceagainsttheAhmadicommunitycomesto light.Familiesofgunned

downvictims inKarachi,havereported thepolice's reluctance inregisteringcases

against “unidenti�ied” killers, and, in a few cases, the policewas reported to have

discouragedfamilymembersfromregisteringcomplaintsagainstmilitantgroupslike

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.Moreover,inPunjab,respondentsnotedthatthepolicehavebeen

involvedinremovingreligiousAhmaditextsfromthefaçadeofAhmadihomes.They

havealsobeencomplicitinregisteringFIRstoappeaseradicalmobsinanattemptto

quellgreaterunrest.Similarly,inanumberofcasesthepolicehavenotfollowed-upon

registeredcases.TheGujranwalamobattackwasoneofthesigni�icanttargetedattacks

againstAhmadiswherethepolicedidnotattempttocontrolthemobthathadset�ireto

Ahmadihomesuntilitwastoolate.Policeof�icialsinterviewedcitedlawsandsocio-

politicalconditioningofthelawenforcementpersonnelasreasonsfornotdefending

thealreadymarginalizedAhmadicommunity.Insidetheprison,thepolicecontinueto

discriminateagainstAhmadiinmateschargedwithfaithbasedallegations.

HATESPEECH

IncidentsofAhmadipersecutiongetrarereportageinUrdumainstreammedia,unlike

Englishdailiesthataremoreopentoreportingsuchincidents.TheInternethasproved

28

tobe themostuncensoredspace forAhmadisandprogressivePakistanis todiscuss

persecutionofthesaidcommunity.Howevergrowingonlinecensorshipandhatespeech

hassharplycurtailedonlinefreedomsforaconscientiousdiscourseonminorities.

WhilethereisadearthofobjectivereportingonrightsviolationoftheAhmadisin

Pakistan,coveragehasalsoincitedviolenceagainstthecommunityalso.In2012andin

2014,apopulartelevangelist,hostedtwoshowswithSunniclericswhospokeagainst

Ahmadisandcalledthem“liabletobekilled”.Followingthesaidshows,therewere

faith-basedAhmadikillingsreportedinKarachiandGujranwalain2012and2014,

respectively.

Mostof theAhmadiswhowere interviewedhadnoexpectationsofa repealof,or

amendments to the anti-Ahmadi lawsor theblasphemy laws.However,what they

expect is for the government to take positive administrative action against the

organizedhate campaigns against them.Therehas been a vicious rise in thehate

campaignsthroughuncheckedpublicationofhatematerial,sometimesinbookform,

butusuallyviastickers,banners,postersand �liers,hatesermonsandconferences

acrossthecountryfrom2012till2014.Inspeci�icareaswhereAhmadisreside,callsfor

boycott of Ahmadis through proselytizing or person-to-person lobbying is

commonplace.In2015,afterthegovernmentannouncedthatstrictactionwouldbe

takenagainsthatematerial,moststeps takenwith thehelpofan Islamicscholar’s

councilboard,declaredAhmadireligiousliteraturepublishedbythecommunityfor

their own consumption as “hate material”. This has been termed by community

representativesasaviolationoftheirrighttopracticetheirreligionwithfreedom,even

asareligiousminority.Meanwhile,hateliteratureagainstAhmadiscontinuestobe

publishedandputupinpublicspacesacrossthecountry.

ECONOMICBOYCOTT

JinnahInstituteconductedafocusgroupwithprofessionalsandsmallbusinessowners

fromtheAhmadicommunitywhoweretargetedandharassedthroughsystematichate

campaignsandcallsofeconomicboycott,primarilybylocalreligiousgroupsfromall

sectsofmajoritarianIslam.Theinterviewsrevealedthatbusinessmenacrossallclass

spectrumshavebeenvictimsofeconomicexclusioncampaigns.Manyhadtomigrate

within the country due to such campaigns. Such smearing also results in Ahmadi

womenbeingdeniedgoodsinshopsandevenbeingharassed.Theseincidentswere

reportedinallprovincialcapitalsandotherurbanruralcentersofthecountry.

29

One businessman's family migrated to Lahore from the Samundari, a town near

FaisalabadincentralPunjab,aftertargetkillingsofAhmadisandopendeaththreatsby

Jamat-ud-Dawain2005.OnconditionofanonymityhetoldJinnahInstitute,“Afew

years after our migration, circumstances worsened for us in Lahore as clerics of

Khatam-e-Nabuwwat(AMKN)beganvisitingourworkshopfrequently.Theywould

visitusandaskifwewereAhmadis.Eventually,thevisits,theultimatumstoconvert

andveiledthreatsmadeusmoveourworkshoptoIchraBazaar.However,thethreats

didnotstop.Thetradersassociationturnedagainstus,wewerephysicallysurveilled

bytheclericsandtheentirebazaarwashostiletowardsus.Duetodeaththreats,the

landlordofournewworkshopgaveusnoticetoleavetheshopandwecloseddownour

businessthereentirely.Ifearformylife,asIthinkthereisaspeci�icgroupofclerics

whichfollowsmeeverywhere.”

Thislobbyingforhateextendedtodirectthreats,phonecalls,intimidation,harassment

offamilymembersandinvitationtoconverttoIslam.Extremistreligiousgroupsof

different sects targeted Ahmadis through a network of mutual support too.

Interviewees also reported that at times the threatening individualswould gather

supportfromoutsiders,i.e.visitorsfromothercitiesormosqueswhichwerenotlocal.

AliChauhdhry(nothisrealname),wasapracticingcriminallawyerinLahore,who

receiveddeaththreatsagainsthimselfandhisfamilyinAugust2014.“Iwasaregular

guy;neverwantedto leavePakistandespite the treatmentmetedout tomy fellow

Ahmadis.Iwasexcitedaboutgettingmarried.Justaregularlawyer–untilonedayIgot

a threat letter stampedby Jaish-e-Muhammad andphone calls tellingme thatmy

familyandIwillbekilledifIdonotleavethecountry.NowIdonotthinkIcanlivehere

anylonger.”Eventually,Chauhdhry,thesonofarespectedHighCourtadvocate, left

Pakistanwithhisparentsforthesakeofhissurvival.

30

hereareapproximately1millionHindus residing inPakistan,outofTwhich 80 percent live in Sindh. While the community boasts of an

economically empowered business class minority, the majority of

Hindus belong to the working class, with a signi�icant percentage being

impoverished,landlessfarmersfromthescheduledcastes.Thediscriminatory

castesystemexistswithintheHinducommunityofPakistan,makingthelower-

casteHindusoneofthemostmarginalizedsectionsofthesociety.

Historically,themostcommonreferenceforHinduisminPakistaniswithregardtothe

independence movement for a separate homeland for India's Muslims. School

textbooks and of�icial public discourse, heavily in�luenced by historical narratives,

havefurtherreinforcedbiasesagainstthecommunity.

Since2001,thewaveofextremismthatengulfedPakistanhashittheHinducommunity

severely.InSindh,wherethemajorityofHindusreside,amushroomingofextremist

organizations and the accompanying rise in militancy, coupled with governance

bottlenecks,has left thecommunitybeleaguered.Therehasbeenarise incasesof

forced conversions, abductions, and rape of Hindu girls. The growing sense of

insecurity within the community, coupled with the state's repeated failure in

addressingthesethreats,hasresultedinariseininternalandexternalmigration.

ThesystematicoppressionoftheHinducommunity,forthemostpart,isignoredin

nationalmedia.WhilemainstreamUrdupresshaspickedupcasesofillegallydetained

scheduledcasteHindubondedlaborbyMuslimlandowners,suchstoriesarenottaken

upregularly.

HINDUS:VICTIMSOFHISTORICALBIASES

31

InMay2013,VeeruKohli,afemaleHinducandidateforageneralelectionseatfrom

Hyderabad was threatened continuously, despite her popularity, by her opposing

candidateforherbelongingtoascheduledcast.

Lackof�inancialempowermentandopportunitiesalsoaffectstheHinducommunity,a

majority of whom live below the poverty line. The ever-degrading governance

indicatorsintheHindumajorityareasimplythatstatenegligenceisenablingreligious

persecution.

FORCEDCONVERSIONS

MostofthecasesofHindusconvertingtothemajoritarianreligionIslamarethoseof

women. The last three years have seen 21 reported cases of kidnapping and 20

reportedcasesofforcedconversion.Thesewomen,bothteenagersandminors,were

eitherrapedandthenconvertedorjustconvertedthroughmarriage.Humanrights

defenders,journalists,andlawyersfromtheHinducommunity-orthoseworkingwith

them-saythatthenumberofvictimsfacingconversion,abductionandsexualassault

arefargreaterthanthosereported.

“Itisverycommonthatgirlswhoworkinthe�ieldsarecontinuouslyvulnerabletoand

oftenbecomevictimsofsexualharassment.Duetopovertyandlackofsecurity,the

girls' families hardly have any legal defense,” Ashok Kumar, a journalist with the

vernacularpressinSindh,toldJinnahInstitute.

Womenfromthescheduledcastes,mostofwhomworkaslandlessfarmworkersfor

Muslimlandlords,oftensufferfromharassmentandoppressiveworkschedules.Most

parentssay that theirdaughtersare takenawayandconvertedto Islamovernight,

despitenotknowinganythingaboutthereligion.Anunjustconclusiontosuchcasesis

thatthegirlsarenotallowedtomeettheirparentsatall.Hindus,alreadyoppresseddue

totheireconomicstandinginthesociety,cannotdarechallengesuchrestrictions.At

most,suchcasesarefoughtincourts,andusuallythattooonlyifHindulawyersare

willingtotakethemup.

Duringafocusgroupdiscussion,Mani,a60yearoldmotherofelevensaid,“Assoonas

the evening arrives, wewant to reach our homes and (we)worrymostly for our

daughters.WearealwaysscaredoftheMuslims,theyarenotfairtous.”Laxmisays

harassmentonherwaytoworkandbackisaregularoccurrence.“Mostlyweignorethe

32

menharassingusaswefeargettingabducted.Weendupconcealingsuchincidentsat

homebecausewedonotwantthemeninourfamiliestoreactandgetintotrouble,as

theMuslimsarequitepowerful.”MenaMahrah,a25yearoldmotheroffour,adds,

“HindulifehasnovalueinPakistan.ItisonlytheMuslimswhoselivesmatter.”

TESTIMONY

In2012,Lakshmi'steenagedaughterSitawaswasabductedinthemiddleofthenight

fromtheirhomeinanareanearSamroowala,DistrictUmarKot,Sindh.Theabductors

were the local,middle-tier in�luential landowners,whereLakshmiandher family

workedonthefarm.

“WeweresentsomemeattoeatoverEid,whichweacceptedandcookedthinkingthey

werebeingnicetous.Butthatnighttheyabductedoneofmy�ivedaughters.Later

whenwewenttothepolice,wewereinformedthatourdaughterhadconvertedto

Islam.”

Afewdaysafterthisincident,thefamilyfoundoutthattheirdaughterwasinthevillage

ofPirSarhandi.AlocalreligiousclericwhoisfamousforconvertingHindusofSindhto

Islam,mostofwhomarewomen,informedthefamilythattheywould�indoutwhether

theirdaughterhadconvertedornotonceshewaspresentedincourt.However,the

abductedgirlwasnotpresentedincourtforayear.

“Wewenttotheareain�luentialwhowaswithPakistanPeople'sParty,Zul�iqarShah

witharequesttotakeupourcaseinhisownJirga.Thefatheroftheyoungmanwho

abductedourdaughtertookanoathontheQuransayinghewouldbringourdaughter

back.Monthswentbyandtherewasnoprogress.WhenwewenttoShahagain,hesaid

hecouldnothelpasthegirlhadconvertedtoIslam.”

Followingthis,theabductor'sfamilybeganharassingLakshmi'sfamilyevenmoreand

threatenedthemwithtortureiftheydidnotstopprotestingorreachingouttothe

courts.Bythistime,Laxmiandherclanhadescapedtheirformerabodeandfound

home ina small villageof fellowHindus froma lower caste.Despite theirmeagre

means,Laxmi'sfamilyintendedto�ightthecaseincourttilljusticewasserved.Ina

year's time, Sita managed to escape her abductors and, through the kindness of

strangers,reachedMirpurkhasandcalledherfamilytopickherup.

33

“MydaughtertoldusthatshehadneveracceptedIslam,butwasabductedbyaman

whorapedherrepeatedlyandnevermarriedher.HerabductorSheroohadawifeand

kidswholivedinthesamehouse.Afterthiswewantedtoregisteracaseagainstthem

butthepolicedidnotpayattentiontoourplight;sowenttothecourt.”

HyderabadHighCourtsentLaxmi,Sita,andtheirclantotheUmarKotsessionscourt,

where,twomonthsintothehearing,Sitawasabductedonceagainatgunpoint.

“WeweretoldbytheBodalFarmpolicestationof�icerstotakeourcasetoSoomaro,

claimingitwasnottheirjurisdiction.WewenttoSoomaro,theysentustoUmerKot

stationtoacquirealetterofpermissionforregisteringtheFirstInformationReport.

Umerkotpolicestationof�icersrefusedonaccountofitbeingadayoff.Eventuallywe

blockedoneofthemainarearoadsasaprotest.Soomaropolicestationof�icerthencame

toask,guaranteeingthatifweunblocktheroadwewouldbegivenourdaughterback.”

Whenaweekpassedwithoutthepolice'sverbalguaranteebeingful�illed,Laxmiand

herclanblockedtheroadagain,butstoppedtheirprotestwhentheareain�luential

Zu�iqarShahintervenedandensuredthefamilythatSitawouldbeback.Inafewdays,

atacourthearing,membersoftheabductors'clan,calledtheKhaskelis,wenttothe

courtwitharms.

“Sitagaveastatementinfavorofherabductors.Shesaidthatshehadconvertedto

Islamandmarried,butaskedforherfamily'ssecurity.Duringaquickmeetingatthe

court,herlastwordstomewerethatifwedidnotstopthe�ightforherrecovery,we

wouldbekilled.Shesaid,‘pleasethinkofmeasdead,mother.”

TheHyderabadHighCourtruledthatSitawouldbetakentotheDar-ul-Aman,anda

�inaljudgmentwouldbegivenafter15days–thiswasin2014.

“Those15daysneverended.ShewasneversenttotheDar-ul-Aman,wedonotknow

wheretheytookSitaandwehavenomeansof�indingoutever.”Laxmiandherfamily

soldwhatevertheyhadintheirattemptstogettheirdaughterback.

NottoofarawayfromLaxmi'svillage, inthelargerSoomaroarea,thereisanother

familyofagirlabductedatthepretextofconversiontoIslam.Thisgirl,Neela,wasan11

yearoldminorwhowasrapedandforciblykeptatthehouseofherabductorandused

asaservant.

34

Neela,herthreebrothers,andtheirmotherSeeta,arefromthepoorestofthelower

casteHindus.Theyearnedalivingthroughmeniallaboranddailywages-basedfarm

work.In2014,SeetaandherfamilylivedinFortGhulamMuhammad,anareathey

consideredsafe for themselves.While �illingupwater fordomesticuse,Neelawas

abductedbytwomenfromtheKhokharclan.

“Mydaughterwasmissingforamonthandahalf.Wefoundfromthelocalsthatshewas

atthehouseofKhokhars.Oneday,Iwenttotheirhouseandrequestedthemotherof

theboyswhohidnappedhertoletmydaughtergo.Shepermittedustoseeherbutsaid

hersonwouldmarrymydaughterandconverthertoIslam,”Seetasaid.

Uponhermother'ssecondvisit,Neelamanagedtoescape.Theabductorspursuedthe

motheranddaughter,andduringapublicquarrelthepoliceintervenedandtookNeela

intotheirowncustody.

“Thepolicetookmylittlegirltothepolicestation,keptherthereforanight,recorded

herstatementthenextday,andpresentedherinthecourt.”

JaiPalDas,alocalnewspapercorrespondentandHindurightsactivist,wasincourt

that day. “Neela ran towards her mother screaming, which made the court give

judgmentinthefamily'sfavor.Butacaseofrapeandabductionwasnotregistered,”he

recounted.

The Khokhar clan claimed that Neela was pregnant. “They lied about her being

pregnant.Shewasrapedbuttherewasnopregnancy.WetookNeelatothedoctor,and

nothingwasfoundinthemedicaltest,exceptthatNeelawashurt,weak,traumatized

andkeptoncrying,”Seetasays.

Neelaandherfamilykeptanovernightguardoutsidetheirhutmadeofhay,andthe

onlysupporttheyhadwasfromthelocalHindurightsactivists.

ForcedconversionsandenforceddisappearancesofHindugirlsisnotlimitedtoSindh.

Mangla Sharma, a prominentHindu rights and political activist fromKarachi says

Hindu girls are converted to Islam under circumstances unknown to parents in

Balochistan too -theprovince.Theprovincewith the second largest populationof

HindusinPakistan.

35

“In2014,aHindugirlfromawell-to-dobusinessfamily,outofnowhere,onedaylefther

homeandconvertedtoIslamwiththehelpofherclassmates.Whyisitsoeasyfor

Hindugirlstoconvertfromthereligionoftheirfamilieshere?”heasks.

The fate ofmany girls remainsunknownafter they are taken away.Human rights

defenders and a few Hindu politicians have been �ighting for transparency and

improvementintheconversionprocessinSindh.

“Wewantveryspeci�icandfewerseminariestohavetherighttoconvertpeopleto

Islam,andthecourttobeabletoworkwiththoseseminaries.Wewantthefamiliesto

betoldinadvance.Howcanaminorbetrustedtomakesuchdecisionswhenherlegal

guardians are nowhere in sight? And why does a small-time cleric just go about

changingpeople's liveswith somethingasbigas conversion toanother faith” says

SanjeshS.Dhanja,oftheHinduSevaOrganization.

Localcourts,ifnotbiased,feelthreatenedwhenfacedwithsuchcases.Sincemostcases

involve forcedabductionofalreadyoppressedsocialclasses, the lower judiciary is

pressuredintogivingjudgementsinfavorofthemuchmorereligiouslyandsocially

in�luentialabductors.Despitethesechallenges,thelowercourtshaveoftentakenbold

initiativesbyreturningabductedgirlstotheirfamilies.Evenso,abductioncasesare

almostneverregisteredagainsttheperpetratorsthemselves.

Thevictimsofabductionsandforcedconversionsmostlybelongtolower-casteHindu

familieslikeKohli,MeghwarandBheel.Mostofthesefamiliesmakealivingworkingfor

landlords who regularly violate their rights, and in many cases, are also the

perpetratorsandenablersofthecrime.Losingtheirlargestsourceofincomeleavesthe

familiesincapableofseekinglegalaid.

BIASESINEDUCATION

AmajorityofthePakistaniHindusconsidersomeofthecontentinPakistanitextbooksas

hate speech or “hate curriculum”. School curricula is viewed as the biggest cause of

sustainedbigotryaccordingtothecommunity,andanobstacletointerfaithintegration.

“The curriculum of school textbooks dehumanize Hindus, and their portrayal is

negative.Wearecalled“ka�ir”i.e.in�idels,thiswordhasverynegativeconnotations,”

saysManglaSharma.

36

AllHindurightsactivistsandtheadvocatesofhumanrightsworkingoncurriculum

hold textbook biases as one of the fundamental reasons for increasing religious

polarization.ThecurriculadehumanizesHindusbymentioningthecommunityina

negative context, mostly as anti-Pakistan elements during the struggle for

independencebefore1947.

MIGRATINGFROMPAKISTAN

There are con�licting �igures on the number of Hindus who have �led Pakistan.

Communitymembers fromtheHinduSevaCouncil say thatat least four thousand

HindusleavePakistaneveryyearforIndiaalone.Since2008,themigrationofHindus

fromPakistanhasbeensteady.

Hindu community in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh revealed in

interviewsthatafewofthewellestablishedHindufamilieshavebecomesofttargets

forkidnappingforransomandrobberycrimesastheywereeconomicallywelloffand

couldbeeasilyidenti�iedinmarketplaces.Thistrendhasbeenparticularlyworrisome

inBalochistan,wherebusinessmen,doctorsandteachersfromthecommunityhave

beenkidnappedbyinsurgentsandextremiststo�inancetheiroperations.ManyHindu

businessmenofall�inancialtierssustaintheirbusinessesbypayingextortionmoney

eithertothepoliceorpoliticalin�luentialsinthearea.Concurrently,many�inancially

stableHindufamiliesinBalochistanandSindh,havemigratedfromPakistan.Mostof

themigrationfromBalochistanisreportedtohavestartedafterthemurderofNawab

AkbarAhmedBugti–aformertribalchiefofthein�luentialBugtitribeandpolitician-

whowaskilledduringthetenureofformerPresidentGeneralParvezMusharraf.The

politicalunrestthatfollowedtheassassinationofNawabBugti,coincidedwiththerise

inkidnappingsamongsttheHinducommunity.

DrKumar(nothisrealname),isfromBalochistanandpracticesmedicineinQuetta.

“TheHindu-MuslimanxietybeganinBalochistanatthetimeofGeneralZia.Previously,

theHinducommunityofBalochistanthoughtofthemselvesasimportantmembersof

theBalochcommunity in theprovince.Asa result, they felt immenselysafe.What

GeneralZia sowed, grewup tobehighlypoisonous in the last tenyears.With the

simultaneousriseintheinsurgencyandIslamistviolence,thefreedomofreligionofa

Hindustartedtodiminish.Unfortunately,thistrendcontinuestoday,”saysDr.Kumar.In

the last year, Dr Kumar's brother and his family havemoved to India due to the

worseningsecuritysituationintheprovince.

37

DrRameshKumarVankvani,asittingmemberoftheNationalAssemblyfromPakistan

MuslimLeague-Nawaz,saysthatthenumberofHindusleavingPakistanandmigrating

abroadisnotexaggerated.“Ifonefamily istargeted,thentwentyothersgetscared

becauseofthatoneattack,thentheywantto�lee.So,youseethatiswhenpeopleplanto

leave.Often,communitymembersusereligiouspilgrimagestogotoothercountries

andthendecidetosettlethere.”

DAMAGE TO WORSHIP PLACES AND FORCIBLE OWNERSHIP OF

PROPERTIES

AnewtrendofforciblyoccupyinglandassociatedwithHindutemples,anddesecrating

Hinducommunityplacesisontherise.In2014alone,atleastsixHindutemplesor

dharamsalas were attacked, according to the �indings of Hindu community

organizationsinSindh.Thishascoincidedwithanincreaseinthenumberofnewly

builtseminariesandmosquesbeingconstructedbyreligio-politicalgroupsinareas

withHindumajorities.

GirdhariLal,alocalactivistsays,“Nowweseemosquesgettingbuiltinneighborhoods

withamajorityofHinduresidents.Whyisthisbeingallowedtogoonsobrazenly?This

isoneof thereasonsthatwedonotcelebrateourreligiousritualsandfestivalsas

openlyasweusedto.”

InSindh,Balochistan,andKhyberPakhtunkhwa,theattacksontheHinducommunity

areexecutedbydifferentviolentextremistgroups.Thecommunityopinesthatthenew

seminaries being run by Jamat-ud-Dawa and JUI-F in Sindh under the garb of

proselytizingareoneofthede�iningcausesofrisinganti-Hindusentiment.

Hindupropertieshavealsobeenoccupiedbylandgrabbersbecausethelandownedby

the Hindus before 1947 was never claimed by them after Pakistan's formation,

assumingthatthelandwouldremaintheirsdespitepartition.Thecommunitycallsthis

manipulation by Muslim businessmen and landlords, who are renting Hindu

properties,aformofsoftlandgrabbing.Theyallegethatinmostinstances,suchland

grabbinghasbeencarriedoutwiththetacitapprovalandblessingofhardlineclerics,

bentuponchangingtheHindumajoritynatureoftheselocalities.

38

TESTIMONIAL

In2014,theHindudharamsala(communitycenter)inLarkanawasattackedbyamob.

Th attack was followed by vandalism and looting of the compound overnight.

According to communitymembers, clerics associated with a local seminary were

directlyinvolvedininstigatingtheattackafteranallegationofcommittingblasphemy

wasleveledagainstSandeepKumar,aHinduresidentofthearea.

Talking to the Jinnah Institute, Advocate Kalpana Sharma - a lawyer and political

activistwhoisoneofthecaretakersofthedharamsala-revealed;“SandeepKumarwho

was accused of committing blasphemy was mentally unstable and a drug addict.

SandeepandhissisterslivednexttoaMuslimwasher-man,whousedtoharassthe

Hinduwomenofthehouse.TheMuslimneighbourframedSandeeptogetridofhim,

andthrewpaperswithreligiousscripturesoutsidehisfamily'sresidence.”

Amonth before this incident, aHindudoctor had been killed in Larkana, and the

communityhadbeenraisingitsvoice,callingforanimpartialinvestigationintothe

murder.

“Thelocalmosqueandseminarybeganacampaignthroughtextmessagesandwordof

mouthtoagitateMuslimmenintocarryingtheattackontheHindufamily'shouse.An

armedmobsurroundedthehouse,despitethetwowomenandamentallyunstable

manstillbeinginside.Theywereincitinganarsonattack,butthepolicearrivedintime

andhandledthesituation.Themobthenmovedtothedharamsala,callingformultiple

attacksonothertemplesaswell.Afterthemobhadin�licteddamagetoanothersmaller

temple,thepolicedispersedthemob,”recallsKalpana.

ThetempleinsidetheHindudharamsalawasdesecratedsigni�icantly.Thecaseofthe

dharamsala attackwas registered against unidenti�iedmen, but themen from an

in�luentialshrinewereinvolvedintheattack,anddespitebeingarrestedinitially,they

werequicklyreleasedonbailthenextday.

TheenragedmobalsogatheredoutsidethehomeofAdvocateKalpanaandcalledforan

attackonher,assheholdsanimportantstatusinthecommunity.Theinterventionof

in�luentialMuslimfriendsandthetimelypresenceofthepolicecontrolledapotentially

violentsituation.However,Kalpanawasadvisedtoremainundercon�inementather

residenceduetothreatstoherownsecurity.

39

“RepresentativesfromdifferentpoliticalpartiesadvisedtheHinducommunitytowash

offtheattacksite,”saysKalpana.

The Muslim mob soon reappeared in front of the dharamsala voicing anti-Hindu

sentiments.TheHinducommunitycontinuedtoget threat letters formonths.Two

temples,inRattoDheroandMediciwerealsoattackedashatecrimesinSindh–oneof

thetempleattacksincludeddesecrationoftheSikhreligiousscriptures.Meanwhile,

thementallyunstableSandeepKumarremainsbehindbarsonchargesofblasphemy,

whilenotasingleperpetratorofthemobviolencehasbeenbroughttojustice.

AftertheShikarpurImambargahbombingin2015,theHinducommunity'stemples

weredeclaredsensitivetargets.Lawenforcementpersonnelandpoliticalauthorities

promised the community that security surveillance infrastructurewouldbeput in

placeatsensitivesitesandthatHindumenwouldbegivenjobsinthepolice.These

promiseswerenotimplemented.

40

heChristiancommunityinPakistanismorethan2.5millionstrong,withTanactiveroleinPakistansinceitscreationin1947.Despiteproviding

PakistantheleadershipofluminariessuchasJusticeARCornelius,Cecil

Chaudhryandothers,thecommunityhasbecomeatargetintherisingtideof

extremistviolencewithinPakistan.Since2001,infact,attacksontheChristian

communityhaveescalated,spearheadedbyahostofreligio-politicalextremist

groups including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi,

Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Sipah-e-Sahaba and local clerics involved in hate speech

againstthecommunity.

Asasymptomoftheriseinextremismandterrorisminthecountry,thecommunityhas

been targeted in some of theworstmob attacks againstminority communities in

Pakistan.InPunjabandIslamabad,entirelocalitieswhereChristiansliveinghettoised

areas,haveseenmassattacksfueledbyhatespeech.Theseattackshaveledtowide

spreaddestructionofhomesandpropertiesbelongingtothecommunity.

Similarly,theblatantapplicationoftheinfamousblasphemylawsagainstChristiansin

urban cities of Pakistan has meant that a number of high pro�ile attacks against

members of the community have been witnessed where the mere accusation of

blasphemywithoutprooforduejudicialprocesshasledtotargetedkillingsand,in

somecases,yearsofincarcerationoftheaccusedastheyawaittrial.

Equallyappallinghasbeena concentratedand targeted campaign to silence those

Muslim and Christian citizens that have raised their voices against the blatant

applicationofblasphemylaws.ThebrutalmurderofPunjabGovernorSalmanTaseer,

CHRISTIANS:LIVINGUNDERTHREAT

41

FederalMinisterShahbazBhatti,activistSabeenMahmudandhumanrightslawyer

RashidRehman inMultan, are a few instances of the campaign to intimidate civil

societyactivistsandpoliticians fromraising theirvoiceagainst the injusticebeing

metedouttoChristians.

Indeed, since themid-2000s, religious extremists have also exploited gaps in the

interpretationoftheblasphemylawstolevelchargesofblasphemyagainstthesmall

groupofcivicallyengagedpluralandconscientiouscitizensinthecountry.Asaresult,

theshrinkingspacefordialogueanddebateontheconsequencesandmisapplication

ofthelawhasresultedinanincreasinglyrestrictedconversationinpublicspaces.

TheferocityofreligiouslyinspiredattacksagainsttheChristianshasalsomeantthat

thepoliceandadministrativeservicesofPakistan,particularlyinPunjab,havebeen

foundwanting in ensuring the safety of life andproperty in the face ofmotivated

attacks.Onlyrecently,anactiveseniorjudiciaryhastakenupthemantleofdefending

therightsofChristiansbyfollowingstringentcriteriaintheapplicationofblasphemy

laws.ThecaseofRimshaMasihisonesuchexamplewherethejudiciaryvacatedthe

caseagainstthegirl,notingthatnowitnesssawtheaccusedcommittingblasphemy.

BOMBATTACKS

Withtheriseinsuicidebombingsasatoolofspreadingterrorismwithinthecountry,

Christianchurchesandreligiouspropertieshavebeentargetedinsomeofthemost

brutalbombattacksinPakistan.Indeed,afterthebeleagueredShiacommunity,which

hasbornethebruntofsectarianinspiredterrorism,Christianshavebeenthesecond

mostaffectedcommunity.InMarch2015,twosimultaneousbombblasts,claimedby

theTaliban,shooktheYouhanabadlocaleinLahore.Theattacks,inwhichatleast15

peoplelosttheirlives,targetedaRomanCatholicChurchandaChristChurchduring

Sunday service. In September 2013, almost 75 peoplewere killedwhen a suicide

bomberstruckthehistoricAllSaintsChurchinPeshawar,KhyberPakhtunkhwa.The

attacks,whichdrewwidecondemnationfrompoliticiansandcivilsociety,werearude

reminderoftheconstantthreatfacedbythecommunity.

MOBATTACKS

The most gruesome and widely applied tool of religiously motivated extremists

instillingfearwithintheChristiancommunityhasbeenvigilantemobattacksagainst

Christianhomes.Thesemobattacksoccurafteraconsistenthatecampaigninthearea

42

has been undertaken against the community and a Christian has been accused of

blasphemy, or in response to the publishing of hate material against Muslims in

westernnewspapers.

InApril2011,asmanyas20peoplewereseverelywoundedwhenamobofMuslim

protestorsattackedChristianhomesinGunjranwalaafterallegationsofblasphemy

wereleveledagainstcommunitymembers.InSeptember2012,amobattackedand

damagedtheStPaul'sLutheranChurchinMardanduringprotestsagainstthe�ilm

“InnocenceofMuslims.”Laterintheyear,RimshaMasihwasaccusedofblasphemyand

a mob enraged by local clerics took to streets of Mehrabad colony in Islamabad,

destroyinghomesofmanyChristianresidentsofthelocality.InOctober2012,a16

year-old boy named Rayan was accused of blasphemy in Karachi after which an

enragedmob, led by the local religious, cleric burnt his home and threatened the

communitywithdireconsequences.InMarch2013,100Christianhomeswereburnt

inLahorewhenanangrymobattacked thecommunityafter similarallegationsof

blasphemywereleveledagainstaChristian.

InNovember2014,amobinPunjabburntaChristiancouplealiveinabrickkilnafter

the local cleric instigated the largely Muslim community into religious frenzy by

accusingthecouple,bothintheir20'swiththewifepregnant,ofblasphemy.In2013,a

wellequippedmobofaround35–40peopleattackedandburnedChristianhomesin

ShadBaghcolony,Lahore,afteraccusingaresidentofde�ilingpagesoftheHolyQuran.

Suchincidents,coupledwiththebrazenanduninterruptedmisuseoftheblasphemy

lawstosettlepersonalenmitiesagainstmembersoftheChristiancommunity,have

becomerampantinPunjab.

TESTIMONIAL

Shahbaz(thenamehasbeenchanged),afatheroftwoandaresidentofYouhanabad

recountsthelackofsupportprovidedbythepolicetoChristiansinPunjab.“Afterthe

twinbombingsonSundayservices inYouhanabad,anenragedmobhadburnttwo

Muslimsalive.Thepolice,whichwerebystandersduringthe2009Gojrariots,took

strictactionagainstthecommunity.Whiletheinvestigationofthebombingswasstill

pending,thepolicestartedroundingupyoungChristiansinYouhanabad.Myson,who

istheonlybreadwinnerforourfamily,waspickedupbythepolice.Hewasheldin

protectivecustody.Wedidnotknowwherehewasbeingheld.Iamveryoldandcannot

earnformyfamilyanymore.Mysonwastorturedbythepolice,whowantedhimtogive

43

afalseconfessionthathewaspartofthemobthatburntthetwopeople.Hewashiton

hislegsandhisbackduringinterrogation.”

Inachillingtestamentofthefragilityoftheirexistence,Shahbaznarratesthatoncethe

policewereunabletoestablishaconnectionbetweenhissonandtheYouhanabadmob

attack, they eventually released him from protective custody. The family not only

carriesthescarsbutalsolivesinfearwhilefacingcontinuingdiscrimination.

“Nowmysoncannotgetemployedagain.Everytimehegoesto�indemploymentheis

askedaboutwherehelives.Onceprospectiveemployers�indoutthatheisaresidentof

Youhanabad,theyrefusetoemployhim.Howcanwecontinuetosubsistwhenweface

dailydiscriminationin�indingjobs,”heasks.

HARASSMENTATEDUCATIONINSTITUTIONS

The Christian community has also faced consistent harassment at academic and

educationalinstitutionsacrossthecountry.Affectedbypervasivebiasesingrainedin

curricula, Christians are forced to learn Islam through the innumerable lessons in

Urdu,Mathematics, History and English books that carry references to Islam and

Islamichistory.Thesocietalaffectofsuchbiasescanbegaugedfromtherecentcasein

Faisalabad,whereaChristianschoolgirlwasforbiddentousetheschoolwashroom

becauseshewasan“in�idel”.Theheadmistressofthepublicschoolforbadetheyoung

girl fromusing thebathroomusedbyother fellowMuslimstudents.Thecasewas

subsequentlytakenupbySenatorSherryRehmanwiththegovernment,butdespite

assurancestotheSenate,noactionwastakenagainsttheteacher.

Narrating his story of harassment at education Institutions, the sole Christian

parliamentarianinSindhAssemblywhiletalkingtoJinnahInstitutesaid,“Biasesexist

inourcurriculumagainstHindusandChristians.Youngchildrenaretaughtthatthey

shouldnotsitandeatwithHindusandChristiansastheyarenon-Muslims.Myown

daughterused togo toDHAcollege inDefence,Karachi.About fouryearsago, she

startedfacingdailyharassmentatcollegewhenherfellowstudentsfoundoutthatshe

wasChristian.TheyusedtoabuseChristiansandtheWestonadailybasis.Mydaughter

eventuallyaskedmetoremoveherfromtheschoolbecauseshecouldnotbearthelevel

ofharassmentsheusedtofaceincollege.”

44

SEXUALASSAULT

Thethreatanduseofsexualassaultandsubsequentforcedconversionisfastbecoming

rampantagainstChristians inPakistan too.Formanyyears, cases involvingsexual

assaultandforcedconversionhavebeenlargelyusedastoolsofviolenceagainstHindu

communitymembers.

AccordingtoaChristiancommunityleaderinMichealColony,“Rapecasesandsexual

assaulthavebecomecommonplace in IssaNagri inGulshanTown,Karachi.These

casesoftendon'tmakeittothenewspapersasmostwomenavoidreportingrapedueto

thesocialstigmaattachedwithsuchcases.Theuseofthreatsofsexualassaultagainst

womenisalsobeingusedtointimidatethecommunity.Inmyowncase,wereceiveda

callfromanunknownnumberaskingfor20lakhrupeesinextortionmoney.Mywife

teachesatStMicheal’ssecondaryschool,shewasreceivingcallsfromtheTalibanfor

money.TheysaidthattheyknewmydaughterwasstudyingatDegreeCollegeandifwe

didnotgivethemmoneythattheywouldkidnapmydaughter.Iimmediatelypickedup

mydaughterfromhercollegeandinformedtheIGpolice,CPLCandCID.Afterthree

days, theCIDwasable to trace thecallandarrested twoof thepeople involved in

extortion.Thesecaseswerecommonplace,buttherecentoperationinKarachiagainst

extortionistsandtargetkillershasdecreasedtheirfrequencyconsiderably.”

HATESPEECH

In2011,TheSamiul-HaqfactionoftheJamiat-e-Ulema-e-Pakistanpubliclydemanded

abanontheBiblewithin30days.MaulanaAbdulRaoofFaroo�ioftheJUP-Ssaidthat

theBiblecontainedblasphemouspassagesthatwereanaffronttoMuslimsentiments.

SuchblatantpublichatespeechhaslonggoneunnoticedinPakistan.Theyhavecaused

widespreadbigotrywithinsocietyandareresponsibleforthecreepingintolerance

againstMuslimandnon-Muslimminoritieswithinthecountry.Christians,likeother

minoritygroups,havebeenaconstanttargetofsuchhatematerialandspeeches.

Inalmostallinstancesofmobviolenceandblasphemycases,localclericshavebeen

foundtobeinvolvedinincitinghatredagainsttheChristiancommunity,oftentelling

theirfollowersthatChristiansaccusedofblasphemyare“in�idels”and“canrightfully

bekilled.”Evenmainstreammediahasbeencomplicitinglorifyingthosewhohave

killed alleged blasphemers. The support provided to Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of

SalmanTaseer,isastarkreminderofthelevelofpervasivebigotrythathasinvaded

45

society.GarlandsandrosepetalshavebeenshoweredonMumtazQadriateverycourt

appearance.

Stoppinghatespeechandtakingstrictadministrativeactionagainstthoseresponsible

forincitinghatredisfastbecomingessentialforPakistanifitistowinits�ightagainst

terrorism.Forthe�irsttime,hatecrimeshavebeenlistedasaseriousoffencethatwill

bedealtwithseverelyundertheNationalActionPlan.Thegovernment,inanattempt

toquellhatespeech,hasbannedtheuseofloudspeakersduringsermonsinmosques.

InJuly2015,thepolicearrestedaclericresponsibleforincitingacrowdforviolence

againstChristiansinLahore.Inawelcome�irst,thepoliceof�icerinchargeofthecase

said that he had informed the cleric that hewould not register a case under the

blasphemylawastheaccusedhadnotcommittedblasphemy,butwouldregisteracase

againsttheclericand400othersforincitinghatred.

Whilethisbodeswellforfutureactionagainstunrestrictedhatecrimesagainstthe

Christiancommunity inPakistan,progressundertheNationalActionPlanremains

stymied and sporadic. A consistent and concerted effort across all administrative

branches of government is required to ensure that relevant sections against hate

speechandhatecrimesinthePPCandCPCareappliedinallsuchcasesacrossthe

boardtoensurethefuturesafetyofminoritycommunitieswithinthecountry.

46

hias,aminoritysectofIslam,comprisemorethan40millionpeoplein

SPakistan.ThecountrynowhoststhelargestShiapopulationintheworld

afterIran.Shiasformanintegralpartofthecountry'spolitical,socialand

economic fabric. From heads of state to senior government functionaries,

military of�icials, feudal and business elite, the Shia community has been

completelymainstreamedinPakistan.However,risingsectariantensionsinthe

MiddleEastandtheresultingimpactofsectarianismduringthe1980s,coupled

withthewidespreadpropagationofananti-ShiaSunniIslaminPakistanhas

givenrisetosectarianstrife.

WhilesectarianviolenceagainsttheShiacommunityhasbeenrifesincethe1980's,

withtheearly1990sseeingadramaticriseintargetedkillingsofShiaprofessionals

acrossthecountry, the lastdecadehasbeenparticularlybrutal forthecommunity.

Today,thenumberofShialiveslosttoterrorismfaroutweighsthelossofanysingle

communitywithinPakistan.

Sincethemid-1980sanumberofsectarianout�itswereestablishedinPakistan.These

organizations, such as Sipahe-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhanvi, promoted hatred

againsttheShiacommunityinPakistanwhilethestate,thenunderthemilitaryruleof

GeneralZia-ul-Haq,turnedablindeyetorisingintoleranceagainstShias.Since2001,

themodusoperandioftheseorganizationschanged.Nolongerrestrictedtotargeted

killingsofShiareligiousleadersandprofessionals,theseorganizationslearntfromthe

newwaveof terrorisminspiredbyAl-QaedaandTehreek-e-TalibanPakistan,using

suicidebombingstogrievouseffect.Today,theTehreek-e-Taliban,Lashkar-e-Jhanvi,

JundullahandAl-Qaedaaretheleadinganti-Shiaorganizationsoperatingwithinthe

SHIAS:UNDERATTACKFORTHEIRFAITH

47

country.Thelinkagesbetweentheseorganizationshavegrownandwhiletheymaynot

sharestrategicgoals,theyhavebandedtogetherinattacksagainstShiasinPakistan.

ThelandscapeofviolenceagainstShiasbecamecomplicatedfurthersince2010,with

theadventofDaeshintheMiddleEast.Assectariancon�lictescalatesinSyriaandIraq,

its impact on Pakistan is certain. Since 2013, a number of militant commanders,

previouslyassociatedwithothersectarianout�itshavedeclaredtheirallegianceto

Daesh.Thispromisestoincreaseboththeferocityandvolumeofviolencefacedbythe

ShiacommunityinPakistaninthenearfuture.

WhileShiasenjoycompletefreedomofreligioninPakistanasamainstreamMuslim

sect,withregularMoharramprocessions,televisionshowsandgovernmentsupport,

theunderlying riftsof sectarianismperpetratedbya small, yet coherent cohortof

violent sectarian militants has bloodied the community immeasurably. Anti-Shia

violenceinPakistanisnowrifeacrossthecountry.However,majorgeographicalhot-

spotsofviolencecontinuetobeQuetta,Karachi,KhurramAgency,Gilgit-Baltistanand

DeraIsmailKhan.

Thescaleandmagnitudeoftheimpactofanti-ShiaviolenceinPakistanisnowhereas

prominentasitisinBalochistan.InQuetta,theprovincialcapitalofBalochistan,the

minorityHazaracommunity,easilyidenti�iableasShiasduetotheirdistinctiveCentral

Asianfeatures,havebornethebruntofdiscrimination,targetedkillingsandsuicide

bombingsoverthelastdecade.

HAZARACOMMUNITY

TheHazaracommunitynumberswellover600,000inQuetta.Onceknowntobethe

mosteducatedandquali�iedcitizensofQuettainvolvedinallaspectsofadministrative

andpubliclifeinBalochistan,thecommunitytodayhasbeenghettoizedintwopre-

dominantlyHazaraenclavesofAlamdarRoadandHazaraTown.

Afteradecadeofbrazen,senselessandunrestrictedkillingofHazarasinthecity,the

communityhasnowmigratedtootherpartsofthecountry,withamajorityseeking

asylumabroadasShiaviolenceacrossPakistancontinuesunabated.

Ruqaiyya,aresidentofHazaraTowninterviewedbyJinnahInstitute,recallsthestartof

deadlyviolenceinthecity.“Weneverfacedsuchbrutalviolencebefore.Ourforefathers

havebeenlivinginQuettasincebeforeIndependence.Sectarianorganizations�irst

appeared inQuetta in themid-1990s, but outright violence against Shiaswas not

48

common,oneortwoincidentsusedtooccurwhereateacheroradoctorwerekilled.In

2003,therealviolencestarted.Firstpolicerecruitsweretargetedinwhich11to12

recruits embracedmartyrdom.Then the sameyear, a Shiamasjidwas targetedby

suicideattackersduringnamaz.Backthenthiswasthebiggestincidentofterrorismin

Pakistan.Almost60peoplelosttheirlivesinthatattack.Thenin2004,theincidenton

Ashuraoccurred.TheMoharramprocessionwas�ireduponbyattackersandsuicide

blastsoccurredsimultaneously.Almost100peoplelosttheirlivesinthatattack.Since

then,targetedattacksandkillingsofHazarasbecameaneverydayoccurrence.People

wouldgotothemarkettobuyhouseholditemsandtargetkillerswouldshootthemon

SaryabRoadandSpiniRoad. Slowlywe stoppedgoingout andHazaraswho lived

outsideAlamdarRoadorHazaraTownstartedshiftinginside.Manyofourrelatives

andfriendsmigratedoutsideQuetta.Then,anewtrendstarted.Peoplewhousedtogo

toIranforpilgrimageonbusesweretargetedinMastung.Militantswouldstopthebus,

askeveryonetocomeout,identifyShiasandthenshootthem.”

AgrowingspiralofviolencehasnowliterallycrippledthedaytodaylivesofHazarasin

Quetta.Manyfamilieshavebeentornapartasfamilymembershavemovedtosafer

partsoftheworld.TheHazaraswhocontinuetoliveinQuettalivetheirdailylivesin

constantfear.Theynolongergoouttoparksorforrecreation.Theystrictlymonitor

theirtravelandneverventureoutofHazaraareasunlessabsolutelynecessary.

AnotherwomanlivinginBaruridescribesthechangesanti-Shiaviolencehasbrought

in her life. “When the Peshawar attack happened inDecember, 2014, the Sipah-e-

SahabaandLashkar-e-Jhangvitookoutralliescondemningtheattacks.Isawonesuch

rallyonmywayhomefromwork.Theywereshouting“ShiaKa�irShiaWajibul-Katal”

(Shia in�idel, Shia should be killed) and I thought to myself what has become of

Pakistan.Wearemourningthelossofinnocentchildrenandthesepeoplecontinueto

spread hatred against Shias. The rally was even given Frontier Corps and police

protection,Ithinkbecausetheydon'twantanydisturbance.Butnoonewasstopping

them.Eventoday,thesegroupsshoutanti-Shiaslogansrightoutsidetheentranceto

AlamdarRoad.”

Describingthechangeinfamilyeconomicandsocialconditions,therespondentsaid,

“Myhusbandused tohaveashopnear theCantonment inQuetta.Once the target

killingsstartedwehadtoshifttoBaruri.Myhusbandsoldhisshopataverycheapprice

andboughtasmalleroneinourarea.Weusedtogotoparksforrecreation,nowwe

can'timaginestrollinginapark.Mylifeisnowlikeaprisonwitharoutine.Ionlygo

betweenBaruriandMariabadandback.”

49

CONSTRAINEDOPPORTUNITIES

TheviolencefacedbyHazarashasevenaffectedtheeducationalworkopportunities

availabletoyoungeducateduniversitystudents.Whilethetraumatizedcommunity

maywellhaveestablishedaself-sustainingecosystemtomeettheirdailyneedswithin

theirlocalities,Hazarayoutharenolongerabletoaccessthevastarrayofeducation,

businessandworkopportunitiesacrossBalochistan.

Inafocusedgroupdiscussionwithyouthfromthecommunity,thesechallengeswere

amply highlighted. “Once university buses that used to take us to Balochistan

Universitystartedbeingtargeted,a lotofpeoplestoppedsendingtheirchildrento

there.Now,mostchildrenstudytillgrade10onlybecausethelocalschoolinourarea

onlyhasclassestillgrade10,”saidonerespondent.

Anotherparticipant,ayounggirlwhodidnotwanttobeidenti�ied,saidshehasstarted

workinthecity,butthelevelofdiscriminationshefacesisunprecedented.“Youknow,

whenIwasatuniversity,Ineverheardmyfellowstudentscallingmeanin�idel.Inever

imagined I was different. Ever since I started working, I have colleagues who

continuouslytellmewhyShiasarein�idels,becausewepraydifferentlyandbecauseof

ourreligiousbeliefs.IamshockedbythelevelofdiscriminationIamfacingdaily.Itis

veryhardworkingeachdayalongwithpeoplewhothinkyouareanin�idelandwho

discussyourreligiousbeliefs.”

TARGETKILLINGS

Quettaisn'ttheonlycityaffectedbytargetedattacksagainstShias.Karachi,Pakistan's

largestmetropolitancity is itself ahot-bedof sectarianismsince the1990's. Inan

exclusiveinterviewwithJinnahInstitute,OmarbinKhattab,oneofthemostsenior

police of�icers in the city dealing with target killers, terrorists and sectarian

organizations,highlightsthechallengesfacedbylawenforcementagencies.

“SectariankillingsinKarachiinvolvebothsides.IfLashkar-e-Jhangvikillsdoctors,the

Shiasretaliateandkilldoctors.Iftheykillareligiousleader,theShiasretaliateandkill

one of their religious leaders. These people are highly trained. The people who

motivatethemtakeyoungkidstotrainingcampswhiletheyare18to20yearsold.In

Karachi,theirmastermindsareagedbetween35and40years,butmanyofthefoot

soldiersare inthemid-20'sandhighlymotivatedandbrainwashed.Thedifference

50

betweenShiaandSunnisectarianmilitantsisthatoncewecaptureaShiatargetkiller,

andforsomereasonweareunabletobringacaseagainsthim,hebecomesdormant.

ButLashka-e-Jhangvitargetkillerskeepondoingthesamethings.QasimRasheedhas

beenarrestedthreetimesforsectariankillings.”

DescribingtheadventofsectariankillingsinKarachi,Khattabsaysthatin1994around

11to12targetkillerswerearrested.Itwasthenthatthepoliceestablishedbeyond

doubtthatSipah-e-SahabaandLashkar-e-Jhangviwereinvolvedintargetedkillingsof

Shias.Headdsthatonasmallerlevel,ShiasectarianoutftslikeSipah-e-Muhammad

andTehreek-e-Jafriawerealsoinvolvedinretaliatoryattacks.

“Mostoftheseyoungkidsaremotivatedthroughsmallerseminarieswheretheclerics

arenotwelltrained.Initially,youngkidsaretaughtIslamandwhentheyseepotential

insomeonetheystartbrainwashinghimintobecomingasectarianterrorist.”

KhattabsaysthatundertheKarachioperationandtheNationalActionPlan,thecity's

policeandintelligenceserviceswillslowlyandgraduallystartclampingdownhardon

allsectarianorganizations.HesaysthattheSindhhomedepartmenthadprepareda

listofseminariesthatarethoughttobeinvolvedinmotivationandtrainingofsectarian

militants.

HATESPEECH

AsinalmostallcasesofrisingextremismandintoleranceagainstMuslimandnon-

MuslimminoritiesinPakistan,hatespeechandhateliteratureformthecoremethods

ofmotivationandincitementusedbyextremiststopushtheiragenda.Shiashavelong

facedhatespeechandhateliterature,whichisnowprevalentacrossthecountry,but

thelevelofharassmentandviolencetheyfacetodayisunprecedented.Regularrallies

and speeches by leaders of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Ahle-Sunnat Wal Jammat, the

reincarnation of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba, continue with impunity. Indeed,

accommodationpoliticalpartiesandthegovernmenthasplayedavitalroleintheir

promotion.During the2013elections,anumberof sittingmembersofParliament

unof�icially allied themselves with such banned organizations to ensure electoral

victory.Thelevelofof�icialaccommodationaffordedtosectarianout�itscanbegauged

fromthefactthatsincethe1990s,sectarianleadersresponsibleforincitinghatredand

killingsofhundredsofShiasinPakistanhavemadeittoParliamentthroughelections.

51

Under the 20-point National Action Plan, a glimmer of hope has emerged. Today,

Pakistanbattlesitslargest,existential�ightagainstterrorismandintoleranceinthe

country. Themilitary and the government have repeatedly stated sinceDecember

2014,thatsectarianorganizationsandhatespeechwillnotbetoleratedinPakistan.

Despitetheseproclamations,nomajorcohesiveactionagainstreligiousleaderswho

incite hatred has beenwitnessed. Indeed, a small number of convicts involved in

sectarianattackshavebeenconvictedandsentencedundertherecentlyestablished

militarycourts,butlagsinprosecutioncontinue,asdoesnon-transparency.

Oneofthe�irstconcretedemonstrationofthegovernment'swillingnesstocurbhate

speechhasbeenthearrestandconvictionfor6monthsimprisonmentofAhle-Sunnat

WalJammat'sformerPresidentforRawalpindiMuftiTanvir.Theimpactofhatespeech

wasevidentintheriotsduringaMoharramprocessioninRawalpindiinNovember

2013.Theprocession,whichwasmakingitswaythroughthenarrowstreetsofRaja

Bazaar,brokeintoriotwhenitwasconfrontedbyhatespeechesbeingmadeagainst

Shia'sthroughaloudspeakerfromanAhle-SunnatWalJammatmosqueinthearea.The

resulting clashes resulted in several people being injured and the mosque being

ransackedbytheenragedmob.

Curbinghatespeechanddemonstratingzerotoleranceforreligiousleadersthatincite

hatredmust be the government's immediate priority. Failure to ensure consistent

policywillonlyprovidespaceforemboldenedsectarianorganizationsthatarewaiting

toexploitsgapsinthegovernment'scurrentdrivetostampoutterrorisminPakistan.

52

n2011,thefederalgovernmentdeclaredAugust11asNationalMinoritiesIDay to remindpeopleof the inclusiveandpluralvisionof thecountry's

founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah. This day commemorates the vital role

minoritiescontinuetoplayinPakistanandtheirvalueasequalcitizensofthe

Pakistani nation. However, beyond symbolic commemorations and

celebrations,callsbytheminoritycommunityforaf�irmativepolicyactionand

reformsofthelegalframeworkhavefallenondeafears.Itisonthisfrontthat

lessprogresshasbeenmade.

JUDICIALACTIVISM

Despitea lackofprogressonthelegislativefront,renewedjudicialactivismbythe

SupremeCourt andHigh Courts has set newprecedent. InNovember 2012, Chief

JusticeofIslamabadHighCourt,JusticeIqbalHameedurRehman,acquittedRimsha

Masihwhohadbeenaccusedofcommittingblasphemybyalocalclericinasuburbof

Islamabad.Inhisjudgment,JusticeRehmanemphasizedthatextremecautionshould

be exercised in leveling accusations of blasphemyby stating that “fake allegations

shouldnotbeleveledagainstanyMuslimornon-Muslim”.JusticeRehmanalsocleared

theaccusedofallcharges,arguingthatnobodyhadwitnessedtheburningofanypages

of the Holy Quran as alleged. This judgment was a powerful one. Unlike earlier

occasionswherejudgesoflowercourtssuccumbedtopressure,theIslamabadHigh

Courtremainedsteadfast.

Similarly,ajudicialinquirycommissionconstitutedtoprobeanti-Christianriotsthat

tookplace inGojra in2009, recommendeda reviewof theblasphemy laws, select

LEGALDISCRIMINATION&

JUDICIALRESPONSE:

ADVANCES&CHALLENGES

53

clauses of Pakistan Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and Police Order 2002.

However,thePunjabgovernmenthasdemonstratedanacutereluctancetoimplement

these recommendations. The lack of administrative follow-up on judicial

recommendationsisalsore�lectedinthesuomotohearingbytheSupremeCourtinthe

JosephColonycase.JosephColony,aworkingclasssettlementofChristianresidents,

wasseton�irebyaMuslimmobafterblasphemyallegationswereleveledagainsta

Christian resident. Explaining the negligent behavior of the provincial police in

stoppingtherioter,thePunjabgovernmentrepresentativeopinedthatthepolicehad

avoidedactiontohaltthelargescaleriotbecausedoingso“mighthaveblowntheissue

out of proportion and (it would have) spread all across the country”. During the

hearing,thePunjabgovernmentpresentedproposalsforreviewingexistinglawsand

taking steps for ensuring safety and security of minority communities and their

properties. However, no concrete steps have been taken by the government to

implementtheseproposalstodate.

InJune2014,theSupremeCourtinalandmarkrulingorderedthefederalgovernment

toconstitutea'NationalCouncilofMinorities'Rights'tomonitorwhetherminorities

werebeingaffordedtherightsprovidedtothembytheConstitutionandtoprepare

policyrecommendationstoservetheseends.Moreover,theapexcourtalsocalledfor

the immediate formation of three task forces to formulate strategies for religious

tolerance inPakistan, curriculumreform,andaspecial force forguardingworship

placesofminorities.

In implementation of this ruling, the federal government in November 2014

announcedtheestablishmentofaNationalCommissionforMinorities,andtaskedit

withreviewingexistinglawsandpreparinganinter-faithharmonypolicy.InJanuary

2015, an inter-faith harmony policy draft was referred to a three-member

commission comprising members of Parliament belonging to minority

communities.InMay2015,MinisterofStateforReligiousAffairsclari�iedthatthe

�inaldraftofapolicyoninter-faithharmonyhadbeenpreparedandallprovincial

governments had been tasked with establishing active inter-faith harmony

committeesatthedistrictlevel.

AcrucialaspectoftheSupremeCourtdecisionwasrelatedtoregistrationofmarriages

and deaths of members of minority communities. The National Database and

RegulationAuthority(NADRA),thecountry'scitizenshipregistrationauthority,has

amendeditsproceduresandhasstartedpreparingmarriageanddeathcerti�icatesfor

theHinduminoritycommunity.

54

Similarly, in implementation of the Supreme Court decision of 2014, the Sindh

governmentrevisedthecurriculumandremovedpassagesamountingtohatespeech.

Subsequently,thecourtdirectedotherprovincestorevisetheircurriculumandensure

thathatematerialwasexcludedfromtextbooks.However,scantprogressoncurricula

reformhasbeenreportedfromtheotherthreeprovincesinthisregard.

PROVINCIALLEGISLATION

With provincial legislatures gaining new powers through devolution under the

Eighteenth Amendment, pro-minority legislation is once again gaining ground. In

2013, the Sindh Assembly enacted a law safeguarding religious properties of

minoritiesforcommunaluseintheprovinceandbarredtransferofsuchproperties

without authorization of a committee comprising government functionaries and

minorityrepresentatives.This lawwasenactedfollowingaseriesofcomplaintsby

minoritycommunitieswherecommunalpropertiesinexpensivelocalitieshadbeen

soldortransferredbyindividualsfor�inancialgain.In2014,theKhyberPakhtunkhwa

Assemblyalsofollowedsuitandenactedsimilarlegislationtoensurethatcommunal

propertiesbelongingtominoritieswereprotected.

In a �irst step against forced conversion, a draft of a forced conversion bill was

submittedtotheDeputySpeakeroftheSindhAssemblyinJuly2015.Thebill,aimsto

enactsafeguardsagainstforcedconversion,de�inedasachangeoffaithunderthreator

duress,alongstandingconcernamongsttheHinducommunityinSindh.Itcallsfor

constituting18yearsasminimumageforvoluntaryconversion,followedbyatime

frameof21daysbetweendeliberationandcoming to court to reachadecision. If

enacted,thebillpromisestoalleviateamajorgrievanceoftheHinducommunity.

Oneareawherelackofprogresshasbeenevidenthasbeenamendmentsinpersonal

lawsapplicabletominoritycommunitymembers,particularlyChristians,Hindusand

Sikhs.Untilrecently,Hindumarriagesanddeathswerenotbeingregisteredwithinthe

countryandwhiletheSupremeCourtdirectivehasspurredNADRAintoaction,lackof

progressonprogressivelegislationonpersonallawsaffectingminoritycommunity

membershasmeantthatChristiansseekingdivorcehavetoconvertintheabsenceofa

Christiandivorcebill.Similarly,threeHindumarriagebillshavebeenlanguishinginthe

NationalAssemblyandthePunjabAssemblysince2014.Thebills,whichseektocodify

proceduresformarriageandannulment,callforachangein“divorce”toannulmentin

keepingwiththeabsenceofdivorceinHindutradition.

55

Themost regressive legislative development over the last few years has been the

revisionofLocalGovernmentActsinSindhandPunjab.UnlikeKhyberPakhtunkhwa,

whichhasmaintainedelectiononminorityseatsthroughdirectelectionunderajoint

electorate,theSindhandPunjabLocalGovernmentActshavedisempoweredminority

communitiesatthegrassrootsbyinstitutingamodeofselectiononminorityseatsakin

to theselectionmethodadopted forNationalAssemblyandSenateseats.Thishas

meantthatminoritycommunitymembersarenolongerabletovotefortheirlocal

candidates and instead have to rely on thewinning candidates from themajority

community to select minority representatives. Instituting selection at the local

governmentlevelhasmetstiffresistancebyminoritycommunityleaderswhohave

calledforamendmentstoaddressthisanomaly.

PAKISTAN'SBLASPHEMYLAWSANDANTI-AHMADILAWS

Inrecentyears,thenumberofpeopleaccusedandconvictedofblasphemyinPakistan

hasbeenontherise.AtthesametimethepersecutionoftheAhmadicommunityhas

continuedunabated. Deadlyviolenceagainstthoseaccusedofblasphemyhasbeen

widespread and even lawyers and human right activists have come under attack.

Similarly,thejudiciaryhascomeunderpressuretopursuecasesofthoseaccusedof

blasphemy.Blasphemylawsandanti-Ahmadi legislationarebeingmisusedagainst

minoritiesinthecountrytocarryoutpersonalvendettasandsettlerivalries.Tilldate

noonehasbeenexecuted forblasphemy inPakistan,althoughmanyaccusedhave

becomevictimsofmobviolenceandvigilantelynching.Despitecontinuedviolence,the

governmenthasrefrainedfromtakingcorrectivemeasurestoaddresstheincreasing

misuseofblasphemyandanti-Ahmadilaws.

BLASPHEMYLAW

SectionXV,Article295-298,ofthePakistanPenalCode(PPC)formsthecoreofthe

blasphemy laws, i.e. offences such as destroying a place of worship, desecrating

religioustext,andwhatconstitutesapostasyintheIslamicRepublic.Thesearticles

were�irstcodi�iedin1860byIndia'sBritishrulersandexpandedin1927.TheBritish

governmentofIndiamadeitacrimetointerruptareligiousgathering,encroachon

designated burial places, offend religious beliefs and practices, and deliberately

demolishortarnishaplaceoranobjectofworship.Themaximumpunishmentwas10

yearsofimprisonment,withorwithouta�ine.

56

Pakistaninheritedtheselawsaftergainingindependencein1947andadoptedthem

without major changes. The government of General Zia-ul-Haq introduced

amendmentsinthesearticlesinanattempttoIslamizesociety.Theseamendments

expandedthepurviewofthesaidarticles.First,in1980,insultingormakingcritical

remarksagainstprominentpersonalitiesofIslamwasmadeacrime,withmaximum

punishment of three years in jail. In 1982, another amendment made deliberate

de�ilementoftheHolyQurananoffencepunishablewithlifeimprisonment.Third,in

1986,anewclause “295-C”was inserted forproscribingabuseorcritical remarks

against the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), making an offence under section 295-C

punishableby“deathorimprisonmentforlife”.InOctober1990,theFederalShariat

Court declared that punishment of life imprisonment for disrespecting Prophet

Muhammad(PBUH)wasagainstShariaandnotedthatsuchacrimeisonlypunishable

by'death'.InApril1991,thelawwasamendedtobringitinconformitywithSharia

Law, as decreed by the court resulting in the awarding of capital punishment for

blasphemyagainstProphetMuhammad(PBUH).

InOctober2015,athreememberbenchoftheSupremeCourt,whileupholdingthe

deathpenaltyawardedtoMumtazQadriintheSalmanTaseermurdercase,remarked

thatcriticismof,andcallsforreviewingblasphemylawswerenotobjectionableand

didnotconstituteblasphemy.Theapexcourt'sdecisiontode-linkcallsforreviewing

existing lawswhich have beenblatantly applied in recent years to settle personal

enmitieswillemboldencivil societyandprogressive legislators toonceagainseek

amendmentsinthelawtoensurethatinnocentmembersofminoritycommunitiesare

notsubjectedtotrial.

ANTI-AHMADILAWS

Inadditiontoasetofblasphemyregulations,successivegovernmentsinIslamabad

havealsoenactedlegislationandamendmentsinSectionXV,Article298,ofthePPCto

legallyseparatetheAhmadicommunityfromthemajoritypopulationofthecountry.

First, in 1974, the progressive government of Prime Minister Zul�ikar Ali Bhutto

enacted the SecondAmendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, and declared the

Ahmadicommunityaconstitutionalminority.Anamendment toArticle260of the

Constitution declared that a person who disputes �inality of Prophet Muhammad

(PBUH)asthelastProphetofIslamandclaimstobeaProphet,orisafollowerofsucha

proclaimeris“notaMuslimforthepurposesoftheConstitutionorlaw”.

57

In1984,themilitarygovernmentofGeneralZia-ul-Haq,viaaMartialLawOrdinance,

addedsub-clauses298Band298CtoSectionXV,Article298A,ofthePPC.Underthe

amendedlaw,AhmadishavebeenprohibitedfromproclaimingthemselvesasMuslims,

referring to their beliefs as Islamic, preaching their faith, terming their places of

worshipas'mosques',practicingtheirfaithinnon-Ahmadiworshipplacesincluding

publicprayerareas,performingMuslimcalltoprayer,publiclyquotingtextsoftheHoly

Quran, and saying Muslim greetings in public, among other restrictions. These

“crimes”arepunishablewithimprisonmentofuptothreeyears,witha�ine.

Unlike other minorities in Pakistan, the selective laws applied against Ahmadi

communitymembershasmeantthatthecommunityhasbecomethemostvictimized

andmarginalizedcommunityinPakistan.Despiteaslewofrecentattackstargetingthe

community, crimes against the Ahmadi community have largely gone unreported.

Prospects for revising these laws remain bleak and the complete embargo on

discussingtherightsandprivilegesofAhmadisascitizensofPakistanhasmeantthat

the community is increasingly ostracized fromPakistani society,withmanyof the

community’smostactivemembersdecidingtoimmigrate.

PROTECTINGMINORITIESANDNATIONALACTIONPLAN

In the aftermath of the gruesome attack on Army Public School in Peshawar on

December12,2014,where126childrenwerekilled,PrimeMinisterNawazSharif

announcedaNationalActionPlantocounterterrorismandcombatextremisminthe

country.PrimeMinisterSharifannouncedthatmeasureswouldbetakentoprotect

minoritiesandcurbhatespeech.

InJune2015,FederalInteriorMinisterChaudhryNisarAliKhan,whoisresponsiblefor

maintaining internal security, asked provincial home ministries to undertake a

securityreviewofminoritiesinthefourprovincestodeterminetheirnumberandto

mark their places of worship and properties. The Interior Ministry has pushed

provincestodeviseaspecialsecurityplanforprovidingsecuritytominorities.The

Sindh government had earlier directed provincial police to begin registration of

worshipplacesofminoritycommunities.

Themeasuresbeingpushedbythefederalgovernmentincludeeffectivesurveillanceof

worshipplacesoftheminoritiesbyintelligenceagencies,securitypatrollingduring

theirreligiousgatherings,andissuingoflicensedarmstothem.

58

Anoverviewoflawandpolicyrealmshighlightsthatalthoughthefederalgovernment

andParliamenthaveshownalackofpoliticalwilltoreviewtheblasphemylawsand

anti-Ahmadilaws,judicialandadministrativemeasureshavebeentakensince2012to

ensure the safety and security ofminorities in the country. The legal framework,

backed by the Supreme Court ruling, is gradually pushing federal and provincial

governmenttosecureworshipplacesofminoritiesandensureprotectionandrightsto

thesecommunities.

Faith-baseddiscriminationandviolenceagainstnon-MuslimandMuslimminorities

remainsunderreported.Manycasesofattacksagainst religiousproperties, forced

conversion,kidnapping,andsexualassaultareoftennotregisteredwithlocalpolice

stations for fear of reprisals. This is particularly true for Ahmadis, Hindus and

Christians.Asaresult,theavailabilityofacentraldatabasethatrecordsandcaptures

all incidentsofrightsviolationsagainstminoritiesremainsachallenge.Inorderto

pushforlegislative,judicialandadministrativeactiontoensurefundamentalfreedoms

and protection of life and property of non-Muslim and Muslim minorities, the

collection and collation of such a centralized database is essential. Only then can

informedtargetedadvocacyforaf�irmativeactionsucceed.

59

his reportmaps violence and discrimination suffered by Christians,THindus,Ahmadis,SikhsandShiasinPakistan.Itexaminesthedegreeto

which religious violence, extremism and militancy impacts the

freedomsandrightsofthesegroups.Inadditiontothesecurityofthelivesof

repressedcommunities,thereishardlyanyelementofeverydaylifethathasnot

beenadverselyaffectedbyaviolentextremistonslaughtclaimingtorepresenta

majoritarianreligiousethos.

Unlessthestateensuresimmediateandacross-the-boardactionagainstallmilitant

andsectarianout�itsinPakistan,the�ightagainstterrorismcannotbewon,norcan

Muslimandnon-Muslimreligiousminorities–thesoftestofsofttargetsavailableto

terrorists–hopetolivewithanymodicumofsecurity.

TheattackonArmyPublicSchoolinPeshawaronDecember16,2014isconsidereda

watershedwherethestate�inallydecidedtotakeanunambiguousanti-militancyand

anti-extremism stance. However, progress on the National Action Plan, which

emanatedfromthatdecision,hasbeenmarginal.Whilethemilitaryhasmadegainsin

its �ight against terrorism in FATA, the equally important �ight against religious

intolerance and religious extremism in Pakistan's heartland has been stymied. A

numberofattacksin2015highlightthechallengesahead.Christianshavefacedsuicide

bombingsandhavebeenpro�iledindiscriminatelybythepolice.AShiaimambargah

wasonceagainthetargetofasuicideattackinMoharram,whileAhmadishavealso

beenkilledandcurbsonhatespeechhavebeenselectiveatbest.

CONCLUSION

60

Moreover, the traditionally conservative mainstream press, while taking an anti-

militantstance,hasopenlysupportedthegovernment's�ightagainsttheTTP,buthas

fallenshortontakingapositiononreligiousfreedomsasenshrinedintheConstitution.

Attemptsonthelivesofprogressivevoicesinthecountryhaveleftanindelibleimpact

onthereligiouslypersecutedPakistanis.TheassassinationofGovernorSalmanTaseer,

State Minister for Religious Minorities Shahbaz Bhati, murders of human rights

defenderslikeRashidRehmanandSabeenMahmood,assassinationattemptstokill

journalistsHamidMirandRazaRumi,violentattacksonnewsnetworksandthreat

letterstomediahouses,prominentTVanchors andlegislatorslikeSherryRehman,

haveallcreatedanenvironmentwhichisfurthershrinkingspaceforamoretolerant,

inclusivediscourseonfreedomofreligion.

Therehasbeenatransmissionoftheof�lineviolenceandhatecontenttotheonline

world.ThishasproveddetrimentaltothecauseofprogressivePakistaniMuslimand

non-Muslim citizens, and of religious minorities, who had found independent

platformsontheinternetthroughsocialmedia,blogging,webdomainsandonlinechat

forumstoadvocateforreligiousfreedomsforall.Internetalsoprovedtobeamedium

where rightsviolations in thenameof religionwerevoiced loudlywithout fearof

censorship.Severalhatespeechadvocateremainunblocked,whilenosuchfreedomis

availableto vulnerableminoritygroups.However,sincethebanningofwebsitesof

Ahmadis,ShiasandprimarilyYouTube,therightsadvocacyforthecommunities,their

reportageofdiscriminatoryactionsagainstthemandtheirfreedomofexpressionare

suppressed.

The report concludes that short term actions of merely arresting some clerics

selectively,nabbingpublishedreligiousliteratureofsomesectsandfaithsandafew

policeencountersarenotenoughtoinitiatealongtermsustainedprocessofrooting

outtheevilofreligiousbigotry.Theseactionscountascosmetic,whencomparedtothe

oppressionanddiscriminationrunningdeepwithinsociety.Tacticalresponseswillnot

changethegameforminoritiesonthegroundwhenwhatisrequiredisaclearstrategic

intervention.

Ontheground,implementationonprogressivejudgmentsbytheSupremeCourtof

PakistantoprotecttherightsofminoritiesinPakistanisyettobeachieved.IfPakistan

istosustainitsideaofanation,thestatemustprioritizeaccesstoeducation,health

care,employmentandjusticeforthemostvulnerableofourcommunities.

61

InPakistan,thecontoursofreligiousextremismineachprovincearealsoshapedby

localpolitics.Thereforeitisimpossibletojusttakebroad,blanketsteps.Itisvitalfor

thefederalandprovincialgovernmentsto�indsolutionswhichwouldaddressthekey

regionalissuesfacedbypersecutedcommunities.Thereisalsoanimmenseneedfor

political integration of the religiousminorities, and strengthening of theminority

parliamentarians and politicianswithin their partieswill help the larger cause of

religiousfreedomandtolerance.Thereporturgesthegovernmentthataslongasthe

policyofretainingthereligiousrightaspotentialpressurelobbiesorproxysoldiers

continues,religiousextremismwillonlygrowstronger.

62

1AliKChisti.MadrassaNetworksofSindh.TheFridayTimes.July12–18,2013VolXXVNo.22.<<http://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta3/tft/article.php?issue=20130712&page=5>>

2PressTrustofIndia.DeathtollinPakserialblastsrisesto126.TheIndianExpress.<<http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/death-toll-in-pak-serial-blasts-rises-to-

126/1058189/>>

3ImranGabol.15KilledinTalibanattackonLahoreChurches.DAWN.March17,2015.<<http://www.dawn.com/news/1169713>>

4AkbarBajwa.PolicesaveChristianCouplefromLynchMob.TheExpressTribune.Jule3,2015.<<http://tribune.com.pk/story/913953/intervention-police-save-christian-couple-

from-lynch-mob/>>

5Morethan100chargedinMobkillingofChristianCouple.NPR.May21,2015.<<http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/05/21/408534103/more-than-100-charged-in-

mob-killing-of-christian-couple-in-pakistan>>

6IHCdismissesFIRagainstRimshaMasih,TheNews,November20,2012,http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-76252-IHC-dismisses-FIR-against-Rimsha-Masih

7“InquiryReportonGojraIncidentDatedAugust01,2009”,NationalCommissionforJusticeandPeace,http://www.ncjp-pk.org/media/publications/pdf_Gojra.pdf,p.51

8MudassirRaja,“JosephColonycase:Lahorepoliceadmitsitpurposefullyavoidedclashwithmob”,TheExpressTribune,April3,2010,http://tribune.com.pk/story/530622/joseph-colony-case-proceedings-to-move-to-trial-courts/

ENDNOTES

63

9“SCordersformationofnationalcouncilforminorities'rights”,DAWN,June19,2014,http://www.dawn.com/news/1113777

10NasirIqbal,“Commissiononminorities'rightstobesetup,courttold”,DAWN,November26,2014,http://www.dawn.com/news/1146961

11“Govtworkingforminorities'protection,saysminister”,PakistanToday,May11,2015,http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/05/11/city/islamabad/govt-working-for-minorities-protection-says-minister/

12“SCseekssecurityplanforminoritiesworshipplacesinSindh,Balochistan”,BusinessRecorder,March13,2015,http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/1/231609-sc-seeks-security-plan-for-minorities-worship-places-in-sindh-balochistan.html

13Ibid.

14“Sacredplaces:MPAspassnewlawtoprotectpropertiesimportanttominorities”,TheExpressTribune,March16,2013,http://tribune.com.pk/story/521567/sacred-places-mpas-pass-new-law-to-protect-properties-important-to-minorities/

15“TheKhyberPakhtunkhwaProtectionofCommunalPropertiesofMinoritiesAct,2014”,ProvincialAssemblyofKhyberPakhtunkhwa,http://www.pakp.gov.pk/2013/acts/the-khyber-pakhtunkhwa-protection-of-communal-properties-of-minorities-act2014/

16FirstStep:DeputySpeakergivendraftofforcedconversionbill.TheExpressTribune.July14,2015.<http://tribune.com.pk/story/920866/the-�irst-step-deputy-speaker-

given-draft-of-forced-conversion-bill/>

17XariJalil.MinoritiesSufferduetolackofFamilyLaws.DAWN.Mar26,2015.<http://www.dawn.com/news/1171984>

18KhalidAbbasSaif.PunjabLGOrdinance2015rejectedbyMinorities.BusinessRecorder.August12,2015.<http://www.brecorder.com/general-news/172:pakistan/1216781:punjab-lg-amendment-ordinance-2015-rejected-by-

minorities?date=2015-08-12>

19“BlasphemyLawsinPakistan:AHistoricalOverview”,CenterforResearchandSecurityStudies,2014,http://www.csi-

int.org/�ileadmin/Files/pdf/2014/blasphemylawsinpakistan.pdf,p.9

20Ibid.,p.22

21bid.,p.22

22BlasphemyLaw,RemappingJustice,LUMS,http://lums.edu.pk/remappingjustice/page.php/blasphemy-law

64

23“BlasphemyLawsinPakistan:AHistoricalOverview”,CenterforResearchandSecurityStudies,2014,http://www.csi-

int.org/�ileadmin/Files/pdf/2014/blasphemylawsinpakistan.pdf,p.43

24IrfanHaider.Criticizingblasphemylawdoesnotamounttoblasphemy:JusticeKhosa.Oct,2015.DAWN.<<http://www.dawn.com/news/1211047>>

25TheSecondAmendment,RemappingJustice,LUMS,http://lums.edu.pk/remappingjustice/page.php/the-second-amendment

26MartialOrdinanceXX,RemappingJustice,LUMS,http://lums.edu.pk/remappingjustice/page.php/martial-law-ordinance-xx

27ZahidGishkori,“Betterlatethannever:Nisarwantsnewsafetyauditforminorities”,TheExpressTribune,May22,2015,http://tribune.com.pk/story/890455/better-late-than-never-nisar-wants-new-safety-audit-for-minorities/

28ZiaurRehman,“Forwantofdataandsecurity,Sindhlookstoregisterworshipplacesofreligiousminorities”,TheNews,May16,2015,http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-318315-For-want-of-data-and-security,Sindh-looks-to-register-worship-places-of-religious-minorities

29ZahidGishkori,“Betterlatethannever:Nisarwantsnewsafetyauditforminorities”,TheExpressTribune,May22,2015,http://tribune.com.pk/story/890455/better-late-than-never-nisar-wants-new-safety-audit-for-minorities/

65

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